Mistakes
by KitsuneDragon
Summary: Ozpin once said that he has made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. He raised those boys with the intention to leave behind a legacy the world could remember him by. But everything changed. He created machines, not hunters. He made monsters, not men. It was time he make amends for his mistakes...starting with them. OC main characters.
1. Chapter 1:Honourable Discharge

Mistakes

Chapter 1: Honourable Discharge

 **(A/N: RWBY is an amazing show and I actually always wanted to write a fic about it, and I wanted to make a crossover with Naruto at first, but I thought that it's time I step out of my comfort zone and apply some actual ingenuity on my part. OC main characters are employed and that's usually a turn off for most readers, but I can assure you that I have planned out a great majority of the story in terms of character development and plot. Most of the story will be original, but there will also be some parts where the canon timeline coincides with my own plot.  
**

 **Hope you enjoy this pilot chapter.)**

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Castle South, Vale 

The full moon hung high in the night sky over the rocky wastelands that made up the outskirts of the kingdom of Vale. Its silvery-white light bathed the kingdom in its rays, but then seemed to act as a spectator as a pair of shadows moved swiftly and silently across the rocky lands. As they came to the end of the rocky lands, they stopped behind one of many nearby dead trees and peeked out from behind it. Two pairs of brown eyes looked down the cliff edge, temporarily eying the massive river which ran through the canyon. From the cliff edge, a massive bridge of thick and sturdy stone stretched across to reach an incline of black stone that served to act as a path into the massive structure they intended to infiltrate.

Upon taking in the fact that no one was around, the two figures quickly channeled a small bit of their aura into their legs, enhancing their physical prowess and racing across the stone bridge. They traversed the lengthy structure in no more than a few minutes, and took just as much time to climb the steep incline where Castle South rested. They stopped a few metres away from the entrance and ducked behind another dead tree to survey the castle.

Castle South was a rather intimidating piece of architecture, its form looking slightly more intimidating than how it had been described to the pair of huntsmen due to the outline made by the moonlight. It was composed of dark brown stone, but said stones now appeared black due to the lack of illumination. The towering architectural marvel was mainly made up of the stereotypical box-like appearance, but also contained a numerous set of towers, all of varying sizes. There were a few that were at least 30 metres high, and those were merely the shorter ones as the middle-sized ones measured up to 35 metres, but the tallest one easily dwarfed its kin by standing at an enormous height of 50 metres. Surrounding the towers of Castle South were four massive walls that were approximately 12 metres high, and almost seemed to scrape the sky just like the towers, from their perspective. The walls were equipped with ramparts where the outlined figures of a few Creatures of Grimm were located.

The Grimm were shown to be some form of primate, similar to a baboon, but were completely black and had sharp, white spines protruding from their elbows and knees. Sprouting out from their backs, between their shoulder blades, were a pair of black and white feathered wings that were quite similar to that of the avian Grimm known as the Nevermore. Their white, mask-like faces bore terrifying snarls, their crimson eyes piercing through the darkness as they surveyed the lands surrounding the castle.

"Distract and kill." The shorter figure muttered to his partner. The taller one nodded in response before reaching over his shoulders. His fingers tightened around the hilts of the dual swords he had sheathed. He slowly drew them, making sure that the friction between the blades and their sheaths was as miniscule as possible so that the enhanced senses of the Grimm above wouldn't hear it. Once he drew the swords, he then nodded to the young man beside him.

He nodded right back to his partner and he stepped out from behind the dead tree, but still remained hidden in the shadows. He then positioned his body to prepare for his task, his muscles tense, looking like a long distance runner waiting for the gun to fire before he could take off. His brown eyes flickered to the side and watched as his sword wielding partner crossed the blades and then held them up to the moonlight. The reflection of the light against the shining blades flashed a few times, thus catching the attention of the primate Grimm above. Their red eyes narrowed as they ran over to see what it was that caused this unknown phenomenon. Their powerful night vision easily pierced through the darkness and their eyes widened as they caught sight of the human, but before they could manage a scream to alert their brethren, a flicker of golden aura appeared in their peripheral vision.

Two swift jabs to their respective throats made sure their acts to make their shock vocal would die. They clutched their damaged throats, choking and fighting desperately to somehow draw breath, but it was no avail as their respective larynges had been crushed from the force of the blows. Their shock died within their brains as the sharp tips of steel, clawed gauntlets dug through their skulls. They were slammed against each other, their heads colliding with terrifying force, enough such that their skulls cracked. Blood flowed freely and stained their white, mask-like faces with crimson.

Raising his right gauntlet, the moonlight reflected off the black material and caught the attention of his partner below. Once he got the signal of reply in the form of a few flashes, he picked up the dead bodies of the baboon-like Grimm and hurled them over one at a time. The impacts the dead bodies made with the earth below were literally non-existent as the sword wielding male below caught them and then dragged them over to the darkest shadows he could find, allowing them to dissipate into a black miasma in seclusion.

Once the bodies were securely hidden, he quickly sheathed his twin swords and began to scale the wall, using the spaces in the old and weathered stones to aid him in securing a firm grip in his ascent. Upon reaching the top, he was gripped by his hand by his partner and helped over the ramparts. He dusted his hands to get rid of any pieces of dust and small stone before allowing his brown eyes to scan through the area. The other Grimm guards were too far away to have taken notice of them, but they didn't want their mission to be compromised in anyway. As a result, both he and his partner then hopped onto the roof of the nearest tower.

Without missing a beat, the two huntsmen had hopped across to the other towers and stuck to the shadows, just like they had been taught. The two pairs of baboon Grimm were still looking out into the distance, one pair looking to the south and the other to the north. Once they climbed a bit higher, they pushed off high into the air and descended upon their targets.

Drawing his two short swords, the young huntsman spun them in his hands so that the blades faced downwards before tearing through their cervical vertebrae and their throats. Gravity worked in tandem with the double assassination technique, aiding in bringing the bodies of the Grimm down to the ground alongside their killer.

Meanwhile, the gauntlet clad huntsman had easily landed behind them before allowing his powerful fingers to wrap themselves tightly around the necks of his targets. With a simple squeeze and sharp flick of the wrist, the heads now hung limply as their necks snapped. Due to the sound of necks snapping, the western Grimm guards had immediately taken off to see what had occurred, but they were effectively and quickly brought down as the two hunters had utilized their great speed to run along the length of the walls to mount a pincer attack. Their crimson eyes widened when both hunters had rushed them at great speeds.

One's face was caved inwards from the force that was packed behind a powerful right punch, its eyes slightly popping out of its skull as a result. The other had its head soaring through the air like a comet as a tail of blood trailed behind it as a silver sword sliced through its neck. Turning to each other, the pair of male hunters nodded in approval of their respective killing methods.

They then paused as the gauntlet wearer's Scroll softly vibrated in his pocket. Withdrawing the Scroll, he tapped the small icon on the holographic screen as it materialized before him.

"We just finished taking out the guardian Grimm." He stated before the caller could even speak.

 _"Alright. Be careful, Byron. You and Kiran have been on numerous missions, but this woman is not to be underestimated for even a moment. You go in, take her out and come back home. Understood?"_

"Yes, general." They replied before the holder of the Scroll, now identified as Byron, returned the device to his pocket. Byron turned to his partner, Kiran, and they retained their looks of stoicism before they returned to scaling the towers. Without missing a beat, they went from one tower to the next, climbing higher and higher into the air until they reached the conical top of the tallest tower. The sword wielding hunter crawled along the steep incline of the roof as if he were an insect, his ability to adhere to the surface seeming almost inhuman. He then gripped the edge of the roof and leaned over so that he could peek in through the one of the four windows, the one that faced to the south.

The room was relatively large, exactly what one would expect from the master bedroom of the owner of a massive structure like Castle East. The lavender, silk curtains billowed in the breeze. A large wardrobe closet rested to his immediate left, and beside it was a small table with a round mirror resting atop it. The mirror was surrounded by various amounts of cosmetic products; lipstick, powder, eyeliner, eyeshadow. You name it, it was probably there on that table. A large queen sized bed was held aloft by its wooden frame, and the huntsman's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the noticeable bulge underneath the covers. Its form rose up and down, showing the sleeping figure was breathing.

'A luxury she will not have for much longer.' Kiran thought. He caught the eyes of his partner who was peeking through the northern window. With a nod to each other, they swung inside the bedroom and landed on their feet without a sound. Slowly and quietly, they made their way over the bed. The gauntlet wearing huntsman raised his hand, displaying three fingers.

He counted down to two. Their muscles tensed as they prepared to strike, and upon reaching one, they committed the act. With a powerful downward punch accompanied by a pair of sword slashes, a resounding crash echoed throughout the room. The bed was completely reduced to a cloud of feathers and splinters of wood. However, their eyes widened when they surveyed their handiwork. Their target was gone, vanished as if she wasn't even there.

"Oh?" A rather seductive sounding female voice, the voice of their target, appeared behind them. "I did expect the kingdom to send assassins after me, but I came very well prepared." They swiftly turned around and they directed their glares of annoyance at the woman.

As shown by her level of preparedness, the level which allowed her to avoid her certain death via assassination, she was not clad in any form of sleepwear whatsoever. She was clad in quite a revealing outfit which was composed of a red halter, baring her midriff, detached sleeves that extended well past her hands, and her shoulders were exposed with thick, wide, circular adornments right under them. The rest of the outfit included a long ankle-length skirt, slitted on both sides up to the waistline, and adorned with small tassels. Resting atop her head was a rather eye-catching hat that appeared to be modeled after a priest's cap, save for the curved extensions on the left and right.

Adorning her feet were a pair of crimson high-heeled shoes that appeared as if they were made entirely of the precious metal. On top of her dress was a small, white cloak which was held together at her throat and wrapped around by a hard collar. She donned small, round earrings and detached blue sleeves which covered the bottom half of her arm which were frilled at her wrist. She had extremely pale skin, but was without a doubt, very attractive. She had long, red hair that stretched all the way to the middle of her back, as if it were a waterfall of blood. Her thin eyebrows were currently raised in amusement, amusement that was reflected greatly within her coal black eyes. The red haired woman clutched a wooden staff in her hands, obviously her choice of weapon.

Both of the assassins then raised their hands to their ears and activated the earpiece within them.

"General, the target was prepared for us." The shorter one informed his commanding officer.

"What are your orders?" The sword wielding member of the pair asked.

 _"It was an expected outcome for her to be prepared."_ The deep voice replied. _"Your orders are still the same. Take her down. Strike to kill, just like you've been taught."_

"Yes sir." They replied.

They turned back to the woman who had held the moniker of Phoenix of the South. The reasoning for title was revealed as a glyph appeared above her staff and a small orb of red fire illuminated the room, enough to give the woman a view of her attackers. However, her amusement was thrown off slightly as she took in the appearances of her assailants.

The first of her attackers, Byron, was a young man who stood at a height of 5 feet and 6 inches. His skin was a light brown, a few shades lighter than the mahogany colour of his eyes. He was well built and his muscles were rather large for a boy his age, causing the fabric of the dark coloured t-shirt he wore to be strained slightly. Emblazoned on the front of the t-shirt was the image of a shield in white with the frontal view of the head of a black bull displayed on the face of the shield. Worn over his t-shirt was a black, long-sleeved jacket. He also had on a pair of dark blue pants that bordered on being black. On his hands and feet were his weapons. Gauntlets made entirely of steel were equipped with sharp claws at the fingertips, stretching all the way up to the young man's forearms. On his feet were a pair of steel boots which were coloured brown and silver, with the silver areas being decorated with intricate designs that had been painted a shade of blue that almost seemed to glow in the light.

The second assassin-huntsman, Kiran, was also a young man, but he was noticeably taller than his brother, standing at a height of 5 feet and 10 inches. His skin was a darker shade of brown, and was darker than the mahogany brown of his own eyes. Though, he was revealed to be suffering from problems with his sight due to the fact that he wore a pair of black framed glasses. Like his older brother, he was also well built, but was thinner and seemed to be built for speed and agility. He wore a black, long sleeved shirt and dark coloured pants. He wore black and silver armoured boots on his feet, but they were rather plain as they were not at all decorated like his partner's own footwear. He wore a black and silver chestplate made of steel and had only one piece of shoulder plating which had been placed on his left shoulder. The shoulder armour displayed the same crest as his older brother's, which was the shield of white with the image of a black bull's head as seen from a frontal view. A pair of brown straps were worn over his upper body, making an X-shaped over the chest armour. Attached to said straps were the sheaths for the pair of swords he was currently gripping which were also in an X-shaped position.

"I very well knew that the four kingdoms train children to become huntesmen and huntresses, and I knew that they eventually send their warriors out to take me down...but to send children off to be _assassins_?!" She growled with fury, her aura flaring like a miniature wildfire. "To be assassins that they think can stand up to the likes of _me_?! This is insulting!"

"I'm nineteen." Byron informed his opponent.

"Seventeen." The sword wielder stated.

"Like I said, you are mere children." She hissed, her eyes burning with rage. "I am one of the greatest huntresses the world of Remnant has ever seen!"

"You're a relic, Singra." Byron stated. "You and your sisters may be master huntresses, making your mark with your powers, but we were trained with the intent of taking down people like you. We've killed Creatures of Grimm and humans alike...you are just another person to add to the list."

"You may hold the moniker of Phoenix of the South, but the difference between you and a phoenix are that phoenixes are capable of rebirth. You are not. You are still mortal. You and your sisters, the four of you have your days numbered, and today..." Kiran pointed one of his swords at her. "... _your_ number just reached zero."

"We'll see about that, _children_." Singra spat before she raised her staff and slammed it down. The base of the wooden object touched the ground, a pulse of fiery red aura rocketing out from the point of impact. The two brothers quickly ran to the windows and swung themselves back onto the rooftop before leaping high into the air. Their reaction time was impressive as not a moment later did tongues of raging red flame race out from the windows. The explosive force of the fire blast was enough to blow up the entirety of the top of the tower they had infiltrated.

Looking down, the boys saw the burning stones that once made the top of the tower arching through the air like miniature comets, some flying so far that they cleared the castle's walls and fell into the massive river at the bottom of the canyon. Their vision then focused on Singra as she was standing atop the cracked and scorched remains of her bedroom floor. Her black eyes met their brown ones as she raised her staff and a red glyph formed at the top of her staff once more. A powerful burst of red flame was sent towards them, but Kiran quickly sheathed his blades and grabbed his brother by the ankle. With a grunt of effort, the younger brother swung his sibling by performing a front flip.

Golden energy outlined Byron's form as he was flung down towards the oncoming tongue of fire. He stretched out his gauntlet covered fists, and with his aura covering his body, he had punched through the fires without a single burn. Singra's eyes widened and she leaped backwards as Byron reared back his right fist and unleashed a devastating punch that would have crushed her body and killed her. The already weakened stability of the tower's floor was then made non-existent as Byron's punch created a powerful shockwave upon contact. A massive crater formed as the floor shook, caving in on itself, before the remainder of the room completely fell apart.

Byron quickly dug his clawed gauntlets and his armoured boots against the sides of the tower as he fell down. He looked below to see Singra had unleashed a burst of fire from the bottom of her feet and used it as a method of propulsion. She vanished from view and the older huntsman's eyes narrowed before he pushed off of the wall, using the remaining fragments of the flights of stairs, before they crumbled, as footholds to leap from one wall to another. Orange sparks flew from the friction his metallic weapons made with the stone walls, tearing lengthy scars in the stone with his descent. However, in mid-flight from jumping from one end of the wall to another so that a piece of falling stone wouldn't crush his head, he was suddenly snatched out of the air by a construct of silver aura in the shape of a massive arm. It wrapped its clawed fingers around him while a second arm was now tearing a massive trench in the vertical structure as they descended.

"Took you long enough." Byron muttered.

"I could just drop you. Older brother or not, I will drop you if you continue to sass me." Kiran replied. Byron rolled his eyes at his younger sibling, but then kept quiet as Kiran utilized his aura arms to help slow their descent to ground zero. Once they saw the floor beneath their feet, Kiran deactivated his aura and the clawed arms that held his brother and was anchoring its user to the wall, dissipated in a flash of silver.

They quickly flipped their bodies before their feet touched the surface of the tower's inner surface area. Their legs bent and their muscles tensed as they skidded along its length before adjusting their bodies so that they were now running along the length of the completely vertical structure. They then pushed off with enough force to crack the stone beneath them. Gravity claimed the two as they fell, descending like rockets. The two teenagers would have easily been damaged by making impact with the burning stones that lay beneath them, but with quick reaction time and agility, they had pushed a bit of their aura into their legs so that upon touching the still burning pieces of stone, they would be airborne once more. The brothers arched through the air before landing on the ground, going into a roll so that they wouldn't injure their legs, before using their momentum to climb back to their feet.

The ground shuddered from the resounding crash that accompanied the remainder of the once magnificent bedroom falling down to their level.

"Nailed it." They said with matching smirks, bumping their fists together. However, the moment of elation was quickly sent into oblivion. They scowled when they felt the large aura signature of their target. Hovering in the air by her small jets of fire, the witch-like woman applauded her opponents.

"Impressive, surviving a fall from that height." The brothers did not acknowledge her compliment.

"So the reports were right concerning her level of control over fire." Byron looked at the crimson haired woman. "Your times as a huntress of the kingdom of Vale years ago earned you a reputation for killing a number of Grimm, and humans when you began your little experiments with the Grimm and the kingdom found out about them. Trying to mutate them to do your bidding, infusing their DNA with that of already existing animals...you are no huntress. You are a nothing but a witch."

"And you are dead." She snarled as her eyes suddenly took on a crimson shine. She snapped her fingers and the sound seemed to echo throughout the great hall of Castle South. Suddenly, what appeared to be a swarm of shadows entered the castle through its numerous windows. Flapping their ebony coloured wings, the winged primate Grimm released their baboon-like screeches, beating their chests as they took their positions beside their master. She smiled as she walked over to one of them and stroked its head lovingly. "Aren't they lovely? I took a series of baboons and decided to fuse them with the DNA of a Nevermore. I made them to obey my every command. With their enhanced physical capabilities being used in conjunction with their ability to fly, they are the ultimate predators. I call them Nikkos."

"We killed the eight you had positioned atop the walls before we aimed to kill you." The brothers spoke simultaneously. Singra's coal eyes burned with fury.

"What?!"

"Your ultimate predators are easily capable of being felled." Kiran stated as he raised his swords. "And we can just easily take down all of those pets."

Singra growled, her eyes literally holding flames within them as she directed her enraged gaze at the boys. "Kill them! Rip them apart!" The Nikkos all directed their burning red eyes at the two boys before unleashing their battle cries. Their powerful winged flapped and they tore through the air within Castle South's main hall.

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- This Will Be The Day)**

The brothers shifted into their battle stances as the flock of Nikkos descended upon their prey. Time seemed to slow down as the boys closed their eyes and took deep breaths. Their minds became clear and adrenalin flooding their bodies as they prepared to fight. Their eyes then snapped open and bursts of gold and silver aura, respectively, rocketed out of their bodies. They pushed off from their positions on the ground and cracked the stone, a trail of dust marking their paths.

Kiran moved a bit faster than his older brother before unleashing a strong frontal stab with his sword. A Nikkos's brain was sliced cleanly in two before Kiran spun on his heels and the Nikkos, still being attached to his sword, was flung through the air and the corpse slammed into another one of its brethren. He then ducked slightly, placing his body at a slightly upward angle so that Byron, who was behind him, could use him as a vault. He raised his leg high into the air and the armoured boots slammed themselves down between the wings of the incoming Nikkos, snapping its spine and sending it to the ground with enough force to crack it. As he landed atop the corpse, he bent his knees and then pushed himself forward. His clawed gauntlets wrapped themselves tightly around the necks of two Nikkos that were currently en route to tear his face off. Byron snapped their necks easily before spinning around rapidly and throwing them away at a devastating speed. The bodies made impact with their fellow Creatures of Grimm, sending them flying through the air and slamming into the walls of Castle South with enough force to crack the solid stone.

A Nikkos roared, beating its chest before diving at Byron. However, the golden aura holder hopped into the air as the Creature of Grimm had aimed to strike at a lower angle with the hopes of taking out its prey's legs. Upon performing the act of avoiding the attack, Byron watched as the red eyed monster could only release a small cry as Kiran had run forward and dropped down, utilizing his momentum to skid on his knees and stab his sword up into the air so that the Nikkos's own momentum would allow its body to become cleanly sliced in two. Blood and gore decorated the floor as both halves of Singra's man-made Grimm fell to the ground.

Kiran then pushed himself up to his feet and attacked with a strong upward slash to decapitate one of his opponent's. The glasses wearing huntsman's brown eyes shone with malicious glee as he took in the sound of his sword slicing through the flesh with uninhibited accuracy. He stabbed one through its heart before spinning on his toes to build up momentum and swung the dead body like it was the head of a sledgehammer, crashing it down on two other Nikkos. Their impact shattered the stone floor and then Kiran lashed out with his second blade stabbing it through a Nikkos's left wing before utilizing a strong frontal kick that broke the creature's ribs, the bone impaling the creature's lungs which would ensure it would have a painful death.

The taller hunter then went into a backhand spring as a horde of the Nikkos charged towards him.

"Buzzsaw!" Kiran shouted as he went into a backflip to make himself airborne. He stretched out his legs as Byron caught his words.

"On it!" Byron replied as he choke slammed one of the Nikkos and smashed its head into a disgusting mess of bone, blood and brain matter with a strong stomp. He then rushed through the small horde that stood in his way, his body merely being registered as a golden streak as he utilized his semblance of hyper speed combat to deliver a storm of blows that reduced them to piles of flesh and broken bones. He hopped into the air and grabbed onto his brother by the ankles. With a cry of effort, he rotated his body like a top before throwing his younger brother through the air like a frisbee. With his swords in hand, the rapidly rotating seventeen year old was like a black and silver buzzsaw. Blood, limbs, flesh and gore flew through the air and dirtied the castle. Crimson decorated the once dark coloured stone of Castle South before Kiran came to a stop at the end of the main hall and he stabbed sword through the solid stone with ease, showcasing the sharpness of his blades in conjunction with his own strength as he easily wrenched the blade free and dropped back to ground zero with the intent of continuing the battle.

A Nikkos cried out in rage at seeing its fellow Creatures of Grimm fall to the power of a mere human. It flapped its Nevermore wings and slashed its claws at his head, but Kiran ducked under wild charge and stabbed it in the belly before jumping and kicking another in the chest. Pushing off of the one he had kicked, he went into a backflip and lashed out with a strong kick to the face, breaking the jaw of the Nikkos that tried to bite him in the air. Stabbing in the face, he used the now falling Creature of Grimm as a way to push himself back into the air and then went into a front flip to slam a powerful axe kick to a Nikkos he was currently hovering over. He fell after the creature and stabbed it through its spine and neck with his twin swords.

His ears twitched as he heard the flapping of wings. He rose back to his feet and shifted his body, twisting as the winged primate flew past him. He then sliced the creature in half at the waist with one of his blades before kicking the upper half of its body towards his brother as the shorter hunter reached out and caught it by the head.

His gauntlet's claws dug through the bone-like substance that covered its face before he swung it down on the Nikkos he had just grounded with an axe kick to the head. The ground ruptured from the force of the attack, reducing the body and a half into a pool of crimson and ebony. The older assassin rushed forward in a blue of motion and punched one of the Nikkos in the chest. It coughed up a bit of blood as the strong attack dug into its belly before Byron jumped and delivered a flying knee to its face. The cartilage in its nose was driven upwards, stabbing into its brain and killing it before dropping to the ground as dead as a doornail.

Byron grabbed the following Nikkos's arm and hooked it from underneath before lashing out a strong kick to the elbow joint. The arm broke with a terrific snap that echoed throughout the castle's main hall before he held out the beast and allowed the broken limb to be slashed off by the claws of one of its fellow Nikkos. He paid them no attention as they tried to attack him, only to be killed from above as Kiran fell down, his blades spearing through their necks like a hot knife through butter.

Byron then held up his new weapon that was the Nikkos's dismembered arm before he took a strong step forward and the ground cratered beneath his feet before he swung the limb in an upward arc, nailing the incoming Nikkos in the chin with enough force to snap its head upwards. He swung the limb down like a hammer and smashed the head of the Nikkos into the pulp. His arm moved as quick as lightning, grabbing one Nikkos by its outstretched arm as he ducked under its swipe before swinging it down into the ground face first. He grabbed the Creature of Grimm by its wings before stamping his foot down between its shoulder blades. He then pulled harshly and the feathery appendages were painfully and bloodily pulled free from their user, a scream of pain eliciting from the beast as a result. The cry came to an end when he kicked it away, sending it into the wall of the castle, its impact cracking the hard stone. With the wings still in his grip, he threw them into the faces of two that flew towards him to distract them just as his silver aura using brother appeared overhead and slashed their faces, blood spewing from their forms as a result as they fell to the ground.

Kiran wrenched his blade free from the Nikkos that was thrown at him before rearing his body back. His grip on his blades tightened as he then took a strong step forward. His arms flew forward as he threw both his blades like they were javelins. Rocketing through the air at tremendous speeds, moving as straight as arrows, the blades speared through the bodies of a number of Nikkos before they were snatched out of the air as Kiran applied aura to his legs and raced after his blades, following their path of carnage.

"Earthquake!" Byron suddenly called out. Kiran nodded and he raised his blades high over his head, moving in tandem with his brother as the nineteen year old held his arms up. Byron's gold aura outlined his arms, Kiran's silver aura doing the same as they utilized it to augment their strength. With a powerful roar of effort, Byron slammed his clenched fists down at the same time Kiran swung his blades. A pulse of pure force and aura erupted forth from the point of contact. The ground shuddered and quaked as the ground caved inwards from the two hunters' attacks, a pair of massive craters forming in the floor as the shockwaves they caused raced outwards and slammed into a numerous amount of the Nikkos, sending them flying through the air and through the walls. Bones broke and the lives of Singra's Creatures of Grimm were reduced by three-quarters. Out of four hundred synthetic Creatures of Grimm, three hundred had been killed in a matter of minutes.

The red clad huntress was practically livid as her body shook with restrained fury.

"You...You...You insolent pieces of filth!" Singra roared as fires ignited around her staff. "How dare you kill my precious Nikkos! I have worked for years to develop a creature that could take both the DNA of a regular animal's and that of the Grimm's, and I succeeded! They are my pride and joy, my greatest achievements as a stride forward in science, but you ruined it all!"

The brothers remained silent as they observed the remainder of the Nikkos surrounding them, as well as their original target.

"This has gone on long enough! It is time you burn!" She then sent out a powerful rush of aura infused fires that scorched the earth, burning it black. The massive horde of Nikkos, the remaining quarter, roared with primal fury as their eyes shone with malicious intent. Their Nevermore wings flapped powerfully as they all arched through the air before descending towards their prey like the avian Grimm that had been ingrained into their DNA. They came at them from all remaining sides as the brother's stood next to each other.

"Kiri." Byron addressed his brother by his nickname and the taller huntsman-assassin nodded as his brown eyes suddenly gained a ferocious look within them, like one a predator would give its prey.

"I know, Ron." His silver aura burst to life before it suddenly lengthened and increased in size around his arms. Kiran raised his arms and the aura followed suit as they morphed to become his semblance. The two massive, spectral-looking arms were much larger than before, and the claws their hands were equipped with were far more menacing. Following Kiran's telepathic motions, one arm had fifty Nikkos trapped within its clawed hand, while another spectral limb swept the remaining fifty in its tight grip. Having grabbed all the remaining hundred Nikkos, Kiran maneuvered the massive arms of silver aura so that they were then positioned in front of the oncoming flames. The clawed hands then released the one hundred hybrid Creatures of Grimm, but they had no time to mount an escape as they found themselves being pushed forwards in the form of a pair of palm strikes.

The energy-made limbs pushed them into the fires and their roars of agony echoed throughout the castle as the wave of flame burned their bodies. Their black fur was burned off to reveal the flesh beneath as they were then burned alive. A fiery explosion then occurred as the Nikkos all fell to the ground and Kiran's aura collided with the aura infused flames of the mistress of Castle South. The entire castle shook and smoke filtered out through the spaces in its once strong structure along with the black miasma that was the substance formed by dying Creatures of Grimm.

"Your forces are reduced to nothing, Singra." Byron stated. "Are you prepared to die?" The pair of huntsmen raised their eyebrows in confusion as the red haired huntress suddenly gained a wild look in her eyes, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"I am always prepared, boys. The real question is..." The ground beneath their feet started to rumbled. "...are you?" The ground burst apart and Byron and Kiran were sent flying back, but managed to right themselves in midair to land on their feet. They skidded backwards before coming to a stop thanks to the magic of friction. They raised their heads and their eyes widened as the dust settled to reveal one final monstrosity of a man-made Grimm that the fire using huntress had created.

Singra cackled like the witch of a woman that she was. "The truth is that I buried this one deep underneath my castle due to it still being in its incubation tube. It had only required a bit more time for it to be completed and so I had these Nikkos..." She gestured to the burned and dissipating corpses around her. "...stall you in order to allow it to finish incubating. Isn't that right, my baby?" She asked with a voice that a mother would speak to her child with.

The brown eyes of the pair of hunters widened slightly as they looked upon the atrocity they were faced against. The voluptuous huntress was shown to be standing atop the head of a massive beast with the body of a gorilla, but had the claws, fangs and mask-like face of an Ursa Major. Green fluid stained its pure white fur, which was akin to that of freshly fallen snow, and dripped to the ground as it finished crawling out the hole it had dug in order to get to the surface. The black, bone-like mask that covered its face was so dark that the crimson marking that adorned it made a stark contrast along with its fiery red eyes. It towered over the boys, standing at a height that was at least twice that of an Ursa.

"This is the Nikkos Major!" Singra declared proudly. "My _true_ pride and joy! Now, go!" The genetic engineer of a huntress cackled as her steed charged forth, and the boys jumped to either side, avoiding the slashes of the beast. Its claws tore trenches in the floor as it missed, but its speed kept it continuing forwards, smashing through the entrance to Cast South. A smoke cloud resulted from the resounding crash as the massive door, made of thick wood and reinforced steel, was literally reduced to smithereens.

The Nikkos Major turned around and roared, generating a shockwave that sent both human combatants skidding backwards before they had to run out of the way of the fire blast Singra sent after them. Singra then took aim at Kiran, a tongue of red fire rocketing through the air with the intent to burn him to ashes. The blaze of silver that encompassed Kiran was quick to summon forth the pair of massive aura arms. Following their user's commands, they performed a dual palm strike and a powerful explosion rocked the castle as the two auras collided. A large, smoldering crater was generated as a result, but the black smoke cloud was punched through as the Nikkos Major thundered across the stone floor. The beast roared as it reared back its arms to slam them down on Kiran's much smaller form, but his aura arms lashed out and grabbed the beast by its wrists.

The force traversed the length of the semblance that were his aura arms, and through Kiran's own body, bringing him down on bended knee as the ground cratered slightly beneath his feet. A blur of gold and black then rushed past the silver aura user, and Byron then hopped into the air and delivered a powerful uppercut to the chin of the hybrid monstrosity before following up with a strong right hook right between the eyes that had it stumbling backwards. The beast dropped down onto all-fours and roared loudly again as it shook its head to rid it of the dizziness it felt.

"The target is getting away!" Kiran told his brother as he saw the red haired woman make her escape by launching jets of crimson flame from her feet. He snarled in annoyance before his aura arms shot forth and grabbed the charging gorilla-Ursa hybrid by its shoulders when it charged towards them. Kiran gritted his teeth, sweating slightly as his feet began to drag when the beast continued to push forward.

" _All_ targets must be eliminated!" Byron glared at the Nikkos Major.

"The mission holds priority! I've fought Ursa Majors, Alpha Beowolves and Deathstalkers, I can handle this!"

"If you remember correctly, most of those kills were done with us fighting together, little brother."

"Well, _big brother_..." Kiran replied snarkily. "...some of those kills were also done just by ourselves, neither of us having any support whatsoever. We both got good enough to handle ourselves against opponents of these sizes. Some fucked up hybrid is not going to change the fact that I can do this!"

"Don't be a brat about this!"

"Listen to me!" Kiran snapped as he glared down at his older brother. "I'm your younger brother, not a child! Trust me, I can do this!"

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Red Like Roses Part 2)**

Byron bit his lip as he watched the retreating back of Singra and then back to his hunting partner. He rushed towards the Nikkos Major and then used its protruding snout as a method to vault over its head before delivering a strong axe kick that sent its massive body down to the ground with enough force to crater the earth beneath its gargantuan form.

"I'm not leaving you, little brother." He stated as he landed on the beast's head.

"You are disgustingly sappy when my life is threatened." Kiran rolled his eyes before the Nikkos Major pushed his brother off as it opened it mouth to unleash another bestial roar. Byron landed firmly on his feet and both brothers watched as their monstrous opponent rose back up and charged. It thundered across the castle floor and then aimed a slash with its massive claws.

Kiran quickly moved forward, ducking under the swipe as massive scars that were as a deep as trenches were left at his former position. He then held his swords and delivered a storm of slashes to the chest that packed enough aura behind them to draw blood and tear through the heavily muscled beast's form. He delivered a horizontal slash with his right blade followed by a downward vertical one with his left. He ducked and rolled to the side as the Nikkos Major snapped its jaws at him before spinning around and stabbing the monster through its bone-like mask. He forcefully pulled the blade free as the Nikkos Major slashed at him with its claws.

With his smaller form he was able to avoid the attacks that followed after him before Byron rushed forth and reared back his arm. The powerful right jab made impact with the oncoming claws of the white furred hybrid and a massive shockwave raced out from the point of impact. The force traversed to the ground beneath them, and the ground then shuddered as a crater expanded beneath their feet. However, the Nikkos Major's larger form gave it much more reach and it pushed Byron backwards, sending him flying through the air. However, the shorter huntsman was grabbed by his ankles by Kiran's aura arms before he was swung around in a wide circle. Byron was flung back and the gauntlet wearing huntsman slammed said gauntlets against the beast's throat. Its dense body prevented its throat from being crushed, but it was still enough to prevent it from roaring from the pain it was feeling at that moment. Byron then landed on the creature's arms as it raised them to its neck to try and help itself to breathe again, but its head snapped upwards as the older Gopaul brother rotated his body and crashed a strong kick to the underside of the creature's jaw. He then leaped and struck with a golden aura encased roundhouse that sent it skidding backwards.

Kiran took that as his chance to vault himself into the air with his aura arms and delivered a strong pair of downward vertical slashes that dug through the dense muscle before following up with a cross-shaped slash to the chest. His aura arms reared back before flying forth with tremendous speed, punching it in the exact same spot. A shockwave raced out from the point of impact and the Nikkos Major flew backwards, smashing through a support pillar of the castle before it rolled along the ground. The Nikkos Major dug its claws into the ground and released a very Ursa Major-like roar while pounding its chest like the ape half of its DNA. It raised its arms high into the air and aimed to deliver a devastating hammer blow as Kiran and Byron both moved towards it, but Kiran's aura arms reacted and he tucked them in before delivering palm strikes to the inside area of the beast's arms, diverting the strikes and left it wide open as he threw his swords forward and impaled it in chest. Byron then took off and delivered a strong pair of kicks to both bases of the swords, sending the blades deeper into the beast's flesh. It roared in agony as Byron backflipped away just as his bespectacled brother's aura arms then grabbed the swords by their hilts and quickly and roughly pulled them downwards, tearing through muscle and cartilage so that massive lines of red were left behind as they came to a stop at the white furred monster's pubic bone. He pulled the blades free and caught them deftly in his hands, observing his pained attacker.

The cuts were numerous and stained the red eyed monster with so much blood that it was almost impossible to tell if its original fur colour was white or red. The slashes were shallow however, so despite the number of lines of crimson that now decorated the beast's white fur, it did not bleed heavily. Its muscular form was built for durability, strength and endurance. The gorilla-Ursa Major hybrid roared and the shockwave ripped apart the stone floor as it slammed into both teenagers' bodies, but they went with the momentum to go into a backflip when the Nikkos Major jumped into the air and slammed down on their former positions.

The ground cratered beneath its massive form before spying Kiran's still airborne form. The Nikkos Major swung its hand-like paw in the form of a powerful backhand. The wind was driven from the bespectacled hunter's lungs as the knuckles of his opponent dug into his body. He coughed a glob of blood and he flew through the air, smashing through a stone bust of Singra and a support pillar before coming to a stop as he left an imprint in the wall of Castle South. Byron, on the other hand, had been struck with a strong downward strike, the creature's strong arms driving him into the ground and left him laying in a hand print-shaped crater. Another devastating slam followed after and the crater deepened.

Byron's eyes snapped open and his aura flared brightly as the Nikkos Major moved to deliver a third strike. He raised his arms and the claws of his gauntlets dug into the creatures knuckles, drawing blood. However, despite the pain, the Nikkos Major still tried to go through with its attack. Its red eyes burned with primal rage as Byron's shaking arms were slowly being pushed down.

"KIRI!" The brown eyed hunter called out to his brother.

"I KNOW RON!" Kiran grunted in pain before his brown eyes widened when he saw the Nikkos Major about to crush his older brother. "SHIT!" His aura sprung forth from his body like a flare and his two massive aura arms flew through the air, their fingers tucked in tightly before the twin punches slammed against the face and ribcage area of the Nikkos Major. This then allowed Byron to drop his arms and then climb to his feet.

The Nikkos Major roared, its burning red eyes glaring at the one that dared to attack it. Kiran raised his swords and gave a 'come hither' motion to the man-made Creature of Grimm. It then began charging towards him like a rampaging rhino, but Kiran quickly rushed forth and slid on the ground to get beneath the large, white furred Grimm. Using his aura arms to grab the creature by its neck and torso, he utilized its momentum to hurl the massive beast overhead. Earth met sky for the Nikkos Major before it slammed into the wall that the sword using hunter had slammed into not long ago.

The wall bore a spiderweb of cracks before Byron rushed forward, the ground cratering beneath his feet as he left a streak of dust and golden aura in his wake. He jumped into the air and delivered a strong straight kick that slammed into the Nikkos Major's belly. Its red eyes widened in pain and blood rushed out from its mouth due to the internal damage registering with its body. The Nikkos Major plowed straight through the stone as if it were made of paper. A small dust cloud formed as the hybrid rolled along the floor and skidded, digging its claws into the ground to act as a way to climb back to its feet.

Now standing in the main courtyard of Castle South, the Nikkos Major pounded its chest in rage before slamming its fists down on the ground. Its Ursa Major roar rocking the ground as it directed its piercing red eyes back at its human opponents.

Kiran turned and spat out a bit of blood from the internal damage he was experiencing. His brown eyes blazed with cold fury, stalking towards his roaring adversary. He watched as the Nikkos Major switched from its quadrupedal stance to stand on its hind legs. It dug its claws into the stone of the courtyard of Castle South. Wrenching free two large handfuls of stone, the Nikkos Major flung its two earthen projectiles at the black haired boy. In a flash of gold, Byron had already smashed through one stone with a strong kick before using the former boulder as way to push off towards the second projectile and turn it into rubble as well.

The Nikkos Major growled, its red eyes narrowing as its blade wielding opponent stalked towards it. The moon and stars were spectators to the scene as Kiran then shifted his grip on the swords, holding them horizontally and in a reverse grip, and then jammed them together at their respective bases. The sounds of mechanics shifting echoed through the air as the two swords were now joined at the base. The grips lengthened significantly and Kiran spun his newly formed dual-tipped spear with expert handling before bending his legs.

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Die)**

"You die tonight, monster." He growled. The Nikkos Major roared in defiance before rushing forward just as Kiran pushed off, the ground cracking beneath his feet from the force. He then utilized his aura arms to punch the beast in the face, delivering a swift right hook followed by an equally powerful left hook that sent it stumbling backwards. The brown skinned huntsman-assassin hopped into the air before rearing back his arm. The muscles in his arms tensed visibly through his shirt and his mahogany coloured orbs gained a determined look in them.

"EAT STEEL!" He roared and threw his dual-tipped spear with devastating speed, visible streams of air resistance trailing around it from the tip that was aimed at the Nikkos Major.

The circular symbol on its forehead acted like a bullseye as the spear impaled his opponent's skull. Blood flowed in copious amounts, enough to fall over the white furred Grimm's eyes to make it appear as if it were crying tears of blood.

"Let's end this." Byron told his sibling. The ground was ripped apart as Byron's rapidly moving form raced towards the Nikkos Major. The white furred hybrid slammed its paw down on the area where Byron was, but the shorter assassin flipped out of the way before delivering a barrage of powerful kicks to the elbow and ribs.

The beast's eyes widened as the joint suddenly snapped, the radius and ulna bones protruding disgustingly from its fur and dripping blood and bone marrow onto the ground. It then began to breathe heavily as its ribs snapped. It aimed to stamp the puny human with its foot, but Byron vanished in a blur of motion and a series of strong punches slammed against the Grimm's knees and the remainder of its ribs. At least ten of the strikes made impact before the Grimm could even register the pain it was feeling as its knees twisted very far in directions they weren't supposed to be twisted at. The collateral ligaments were torn like tissue paper as a shockwave echoed across the battlefield alongside the snap of bone. The Grimm was brought to the ground, trying in vain to hold up its body weight with a broken arm and one good arm.

It roared in pain and anger, making a desperate attempt at survival by slamming its good arm down on the ground. Due to balancing on its broken arm, it ended up falling to the ground just as a rush of pure force tore apart the earth from its desperation blow. Said blow formed a trench that threatened to swallow up both huntsmen.

However, the brown skinned teenagers had already taken to the skies as they jumped before performing a series of front flips as they fell towards their grounded opponent. With practiced synchronicity, they simultaneous delivered two very strong axe kicks, both armoured heels impacting with the tip of Kiran's other spearhead and driving the weapon straight through the Grimm's skull. It ripped through bone, flesh and brain matter before exiting through the creature's lower jaw.

The red eyes of the Nikkos Major then lost their glow as it released a final moan before falling over onto its side. The two boys fell to the ground and panted heavily as they overlooked the dead hybrid. It was far harder to kill than any Nevermore or Ursa Major they had come across, but it was dead now and they would never have to face another one like it again.

"Mission's not over." Kiran reminded his partner. He walked over and picked up his spear from underneath the corpse of the hybrid. "We still need to kill the target."

"I can catch up to her." Byron assured his younger brother. "It's only been ten minutes, I can catch up to her easily."

Kiran smirked before twirling his spear and gripped it tightly beneath the hilts that had remained from his swords upon their transformation into the pole arm. He bent it away from his body, the hilts retracting into the pole arm itself so that the spear could fold together evenly. The length of the pole arm shrunk slightly before its end bended at a slight angle. An arc of black metal formed between the angle created by the bend and the rest of the linear weapon before what looked like a trigger flipped into existence. The blades then retracted inwards and were shifted via the internal mechanics before the holes shrunk to become the barrels of the newly formed long-range weapon he held in his hands. In a moment of mild humour, a tiny crosshair popped up between the two barrels with a small 'ding' as if an oven of cookies had just finished baking. Kiran then cocked the long range, customized M16 Springfield shotgun and smirked.

"Just give me the signal."

* * *

Unknown Location, Outskirts, Vale 

Singra was reduced to running in her high heeled shoes. It annoyed her greatly that despite her large amounts of aura, she couldn't use it for very long to generate fires to grant her the ability to fly.

"It's a shame I have to get rid of Castle South." She muttered to herself as she glanced back at the coal coloured stronghold. "All of my work and achievements...lost due to the appearance of two little boys. The only thing I can find solace in is that I have already shared my research with my sisters. Though, I will probably have to stay with one of them until I can build a new castle. Nessa was always kind to me, so I guess I'll head for her stronghold in the east. "

With that objective she continued to run, but her ebony eyes widened as she felt an aura signature behind her. She ducked underneath a strong blow aimed to the back of her head that would have sent her flying through the air. Years of experience had her capable of climbing back on her feet as she recovered from the gust of wind that followed after her. She raised her head and her swept aside strands of her blood coloured hair, only for her eyes to widen when she found herself facing the annoying midget of a nineteen year old.

"How?!" She exclaimed with utter shock. "The Nikkos Major should have killed you! You should be dead!"

"Your hybrid was tough, I'll admit...but my brother and I have dealt with hordes of the Creatures of Grimm. One extremely strong hybrid would make no difference." He replied coldly. He raised his arms and immediately took off from his position to dodge the tongue of red fire directed at him. He then reappeared in Singra's face, only for her to raise her staff and block his strong blow. The force traveled through her body and cratered the ground beneath her feet before she pushed him back and then swung her staff high over her head. With a cry of effort she swung it down and a massive burst of red fire raced out from the rotating glyph that formed at the tip of the staff.

The streak of flame tore the earth asunder and split boulders and tress that were in its path before ending as an impressive explosion that left behind a massive crater. The light of the fiery explosion died down to reveal that the earth was literally red hot as a scorching trench, outlined by crimson embers, was all that was left of the land she had destroyed.

"Too slow." Byron muttered as he then slammed down on the staff, having dodged the powerful attack by jumping high into the air. The force of his landing accompanied by the weight of his armoured body was enough to push the staff deep into the dirt. Singra tried in vain for no more than a second to try and move her weapon as she quickly had to let it go when Byron's ebony gauntlet of steel was about to force her face to become a bloody pulp. She went into a back hand spring to avoid the follow up hook shot before spinning on her hands to deliver a whirlwind of kicks that Byron was forced to block.

Singra then bent her arms before pushing herself into the air. The crimson haired huntress righted herself in midair then went and performed two strong roundhouse kicks that had the young huntsman skidding backwards as they collided with his gauntlets. She then growled as she wrenched her staff free from its earthen confines.

"You are a thorn in my side, boy. You will not even get the choice of having last words." Her crimson aura flared brightly, her eyes glowing like brimstone from the pits of hell itself. The earth shuddered and quaked, caving inwards to form a crater beneath the huntress as it felt as if the force of gravity had increased a few times. Veins of fiery aura moved across the land, their user acting as it epicentre. Byron sweated as waves of heat and the force of her aura made him take a few tentative steps back.

"So you finally learned that you are outmatched." Singra smirked as she pointed her staff at him.

Byron raised his fingers to his ears, activating his earpiece. "Take the shot."

"Burn!" The Phoenix of the South roared. A fireball swirled to life that would be more than enough to reduce his body to cinders.

BANG!

And that was the last sound she heard as the Fire Dust bullet ripped through the back of her skull, drilled its way into her brain and then detonated. Her head exploded into a blaze of red fire that then spread to the rest of her now head-less body. The fireball dissipated as the connection to its aura source was severed, and the staff was also set ablaze by the burning form of its user.

* * *

Walls, Castle South, Vale

From the walls of Castle South, Kiran nodded in satisfaction as he observed the burning corpse via the telescopic vision granted to him by the scope function of his glasses. The once clear lenses held a green tint, but then said tint vanished as he deactivated the scope. The crimson casing of his Fire Dust bullet clattered to the ground before he picked it up, pocketing it as he pushed himself back to his feet. He pressed his fingers against his ear.

"Mission accomplished." He informed the people on the other end of the connection. "Target Singra, Phoenix of the South, has been eliminated."

 _"General, send an airship to Kiri and I for pick up."_ Byron spoke.

* * *

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Welcome to Beacon)**

Atlesian Military HQ, Atlas, Mantle 

Atlas. One of the four kingdoms, a significant part of the continent of Vytal and by far recognized as the strongest military power in the world of Remnant. Due to being a militaristic nation, the kingdom of Atlas was not only the greatest in terms of overall might, but also in technological advancements. They were currently designing android soldiers to replace humans from being sent out to their deaths on the battlefield, but as a result of this idea still being a work in progress, they still required the human element to carry out their actions.

Especially those that were extremely delicate, such as those that involved stealth, infiltration...and assassination.

"General, Team Gamma has returned to base." A young male officer said as he turned to his commanding officer.

General James Ironwood nodded to the subordinate officer. Ironwood was shown to be well dressed and clean. He wore a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, alongside a red tie, and a white glove on his right hand. He stood at a rather towering height of 6 feet and 6 inches, and was rather strong in his appearance. His back was straight, his shoulders were broad and, despite his layered clothing, the size of his body that was made up of primarily muscle from years as a man of the battlefield, was quite impressive. His hair was black, with some areas being silver or gray in colouration, thus highlighting the fact that he was beginning to get along in age, while his eyebrows were a single, black color. He had what appeared to be a strip of silver metal or a bandage of some sort above his right eyebrow. His blue eyes focused on the screen where two small blips, one gold and one silver, appeared on the grid. The two blips were located near the image of what looked like a black rook piece, like what one would see on a chessboard.

"Good, send a message to their scrolls that I will meet them in the medical bay." Ironwood ordered. The message was immediately sent out, and he looked over to a few other operatives. "Any words from Epsilon Team?"

"No sir." A female communications officer replied. "We lost communications with them, and I assumed that it was due to the poor reception in the northern parts of Vale...but they've been dark for over ten minutes now."

"And why are you now telling me this?" Ironwood growled out, his eyes narrowing at the communications officer. The young woman gulped audibly before replying.

"I...I have no reason other than my own faulty assumptions, General Ironwood." She replied. "I apologize." Ironwood sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"The Turtle of the North is up there, and she is every bit as powerful as her sisters. Singra was reported to be the weakest of the four and yet she had enough firepower to do widespread damage." Ironwood took a deep breath to calm his nerves before turning around. "I want a report concerning Epsilon's status within he next five minutes. If they have gone dark, then we can assume the worst and we will have to sever the connection we have to their comm-links. Understood?"

"Yes, General." The woman saluted before turning back to her screen.

With that, Ironwood turned around and headed off to the medical wing. He traversed the hallways of the Atlesian Military HQ, earning salutes and nods of respect from his fellow soldiers. He then came to a stop before the large metal doors of the medical wing. He placed his hand on the scanner and let his right eye be scanned by the retinal scanner. A beep of confirmation was heard as a green light appeared on both scanning apparatuses.

As the automatic doors opened, the general raised an eyebrow to reveal the Gopaul brothers. The boys were still wrapped in bandages around their torsos and parts of their forearms, but they had already put on most of their clothes and were now slipping on their shirts. Once they completed their tasks, they reattached their armour and weapons.

Byron's gauntlets suddenly began to shrink in size as the massive black metal receded into a circular ring at their bases until it became akin to a small pair of lightly armoured gloves, while Kiran had already reverted his weapon back to its primary form as the dual swords on the way back from the airship they had taken for the return trip to headquarters.

"General Ironwood." They saluted their superior before said superior saluted back to them.

"Why do you boys always have to get out of bed so soon?" Ironwood asked. "You just came back from your mission and need to take some rest. You're men, not machines."

"On the contrary, in our Master's own words, we were to be trained to be efficient and strong. We were made to be the Master's swords, to take down all that may threaten him. We are his sword and his shield." Kiran replied.

"In addition to my brother's words, these wounds have not even remained as long as they should have due to the healing capabilities of aura." Byron said. "Though, I am curious as to why you decided to send a message saying you would meet us here, General Ironwood. Your commands are for _us_ to always report back to _you_ upon completing a mission in the briefing room. Those orders were given to us by you personally, General."

"After our training was completed and you drafted us for the Atlesian military you also made it clear that we were to report to you and only to you." Kiran added.

"...That is true." The general of Atlas muttered before deciding to shift topics. "So, Black Operative Byron Gopaul and Black Operative Kiran Gopaul, members of the Hunter Assassination and Strike Team Gamma, report your findings on the battle against the huntress, Phoenix of the South, Singra."

The two assassin-hunters stood up straighter as they stood at attention before the general.

"Singra revealed that our reports were correct regarding her experiments of aiming to produce a hybrid creation between those of regular animals and those of the Creatures of Grimm." Byron began. "She succeeded in producing stable subjects in the forms of hybrids she named Nikkos. They are a combination of the ape known as the baboon, but infused with DNA of the Grimm species known as the Nevermore. This resulted in the formation of a winged baboon."

"They contain enhanced physical capabilities as well as the ability to fly as they are equipped with smaller versions of the Nevermore's wings which sprout forth from their backs." Kiran informed Ironwood. "In addition, they are capable of following orders as Singra commanded them to attack us, which they did with no form of resistance or insubordination. However, they are rather slow and weak in comparison to both Ron and myself as we took down three hundred of the four hundred Nikkos in a matter of minutes."

"Impressive." Ironwood nodded in satisfaction.

"However, she did not stop there." Byron continued. "She managed to produce the Nikkos Major, a hybrid of a gorilla and an Ursa Major. It stood at a height almost twice the size and at least twice as strong as the Ursa Major itself. Its roar produced shockwaves and it was capable of breaking through solid stone with its claws. Kiri and I defeated it in battle, but at the cost of receiving the wounds we are currently present with."

"Singra had tried to escape while we fought, but Ron caught up to her with his semblance. He placed her into position before I fired the killing shot from atop Castle South, taking her head off and burning her body." Kiran finished. "However, upon waiting for HQ to send us the retrieval airship, we found that Singra's laboratory had been stripped of all of its data. She deleted all of her files and it seemed as though all of the hybrids she created were the ones we had killed."

"I see. It is a shame that we could not learn more about Singra's experiments, but it was still reckless of you two to fight the Nikkos Major." Ironwood's eyes narrowed as his coal coloured orbs met the mahogany brown ones of his subordinates. "You could have been killed. To fight an unknown enemy is a great risk, even for the two of you take."

"Our rebuttal is that we are the two best assassins and huntsmen of our generation you have in your forces, General Ironwood." Byron stated with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Do not be so vain, Byron." Ironwood said. "You boys are teenaged soldiers, not gods."

"We are aware of our mortality, General." Kiran spoke this time. "But even you have recognized our capabilities. After all, you saw what happened when we went all out against the White Fang's battalion when we first joined the Black Ops three years ago. You had us on the front lines after we completed the assassination of..."

"Yes, I know. I made the calls for you two to perform those acts. There were no survivors in the White Fang's battalion when you both used the full power of your semblances. It was a massacre." Ironwood replied.

"That is because..."

"That is because I trained them to be the best." All eyes turned in the direction of the voice that interrupted the general. Ironwood raised an eyebrow as he looked at his old friend and former partner on the battlefront as a huntsman.

"Oz? What are you doing here in Atlas?" He asked. The headmaster of Beacon offered his friend a small glance as he kept most of his focus on the large screen.

"That's hardly a question worth asking, old friend." He chuckled. "I've come to see how my boys are doing." The gray haired man then looked back to the officer. "However, I arrived just as you all began to talk about the risk taking by fighting the Nikkos Major. James, I personally trained those boys so to question their capabilities is to question my teaching methods. You don't think I did a very good job, do you?"

The general froze, his words forming a lump in his throat as Ozpin offered him a sickeningly sweet smile. He then glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Kiran and Byron suddenly drop down on bended knee, bowing their heads to their teacher. Their eyes shifted in his direction however, and the looks they sent him were enough to let him know that should he doubt their Master's teachings...they would show him firsthand what the students of Ozpin were capable of.

"You know what I think, Oz." The general spoke, giving a forced smile that his bespectacled friend could obviously see through.

"Good." Ozpin nodded happily before turning to his proteges.

"Master, we were not expecting you to come here." Byron stated. Ozpin frowned deeply at the action of the boys bowing to him. He patted Kiran and Byron on their shoulders, but they did not offer any sort of response to the headmaster of Beacon.

"Boys, please, don't bow. Yes, I taught you to offer proper respect to people that deserve it, but..."

"I am afraid we cannot offer you the courtesy of not kneeling to you, Master." Byron interrupted. "Kiri and I cannot grant you that much disrespect." Kiran nodded in agreement with his older brother. Ozpin ran a hand through his mess of gray hair before sighing.

"Rise to your feet." They complied with the order and that made Ozpin's frown only deepen. "So I heard you faced off against Singra, the Phoenix of the South, and completed your mission in killing her. You've done well, boys."

"Thank you, Master."

"You really thought they had what it took to beat her, and you were right...as always." Ironwood chuckled. "She and her sisters were quite a team back in the day when we went to Beacon, and I'm sure they only grew more powerful as time went on...but to think Byron and Kiran were capable of taking down one of them."

Ozpin's brown eyes met the black ones of his former hunting teammate, a look of utter confidence and seriousness held within them. "I never _thought_ they could beat her, James. I _knew_ they could...and it's time others knew of their skill as well."

Ironwood's eyes widened at that before they narrowed. "You can't be serious."

"I am as serious as I always have been, James. I rarely ever make jokes, and this is not one of them."

"Oz, think about what you're doing. Those boys have saved more lives and taken just as many, to pull them out now-!" Ironwood was interrupted, wincing as his ears were assaulted by the deafening sound of Ozpin slamming his cane down on the ground to emphasize his statement.

"I will say this once...and only once, James." Ozpin stepped forward, his back being a bit straighter than usual as he directed a fierce gaze at his friend. "As their former teacher and their guardian, I have the right to dictate what will happen to them now, as I always have. They've been walking along the battlefront for too long, and it's time they take their leave from it. Effective immediately, Byron and Kiran Gopaul are no longer members of the Atlesian Black Ops. Understood?"

Ironwood and Ozpin held their gazes for what felt like an eternity as they tried to get the other to cave in. However, Ozpin's resilience proved to be paramount as Ironwood's gaze flickered to the side and he released a sigh of defeat.

"Alright Oz." He said. "If that's what you think is best. I'll draw up their discharge forms and send them to you by the end of the day."

"Good." Ozpin nodded stiffly before heading for the doors. "Come along, boys."

The two teenaged assassins looked to Ironwood, then to each other and then to Ozpin before finally moving after their bespectacled master. They flanked the much taller man, and Kiran turned to the head of Beacon Academy with a raised eyebrow.

"Master...why?"

"Like I told James, you boys have been on the battlefield for far too long. You were trained to become the best huntsmen you could become under my tutelage, and I promised your parents that I would do whatever it took to make sure of that, but...seven years for mere children like you to take part in actual warfare is...a mistake I made. I've let you both down in being the one to have orchestrated your joining the Atlesian Black Ops, having you stick to the shadows for so long, so it's time you stepped out into the light for a bit."

"I...don't understand." Byron stated. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Indeed, you both will be heading somewhere that I'm quite you will enjoy." The older Gopaul raised a black eyebrow in mild confusion as he took note of his teacher's sly smirk. The two brothers looked at each other in confusion before looking up at Ozpin, speaking simultaneously as they asked the same exact question.

"Where?"

* * *

 **(A/N: Now while most characters in the RWBY franchise are named after colours and based on fairy tales or famous warriors, my OCs don't exactly have such a well thought out origin behind their names, but will be somewhat more animal based in terms of the name. Gopaul is a name that stems from the East Indian name Gopal which means Cow Protector, a pretty big title since cows are sacred in Indian culture, and is also the reason behind the shield and black bull insignia on the boys' outfits.**

 **The hybrid creatures, the Nikkos, were based off of the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz, and Nikkos was actually the name of the commander of the flying monkeys, so I took his name and made it into the name of the species. The Nikkos Major was something I came up with as a sort of a boss battle kind of thing, and I think it worked out nicely.**

 **Now Singra is the name of the Wicked Witch of the South in a spin-off novel of the Wizard of Oz called the Wicked Witch of Oz. For Singra's appearance though, look up the manhwa- Korean manga- called Witch Hunter. There are four witches called North, East, South and West, and those four witches will be the basis in terms of the appearances of all four of the Wicked Witches. Also, r** ** **ather than being called Wicked Witches, they will hold semblances and titles that will be akin to those of the Shijin, the four deity guardians of earth in Chinese myth. The phoenix of the south represents fire, the turtle of the north represents water, the tiger of the west is metal, and the dragon of the east is wood. Now i** n the Wizard of Oz and its various media adaptations, the Wicked Witch of the South was never mentioned, nor was she given a name like how the witches of the West, East and North had, so I used that as the grounds to assume that she was the weakest of the four Wicked Witches in the story, hence why Singra was able to be defeated by Kiran and Byron.**

 **As the story progresses, I will introduce the other three witches/huntresses, and also I will delve deeper into the backgrounds of Kiran and Byron and how they became associated with Ozpin and why he chose to suddenly take on students.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter and I hope you like everything else that's soon to come. Remember to review, review, review!)**


	2. Chapter 2:Assimilation Pt 1

Mistakes

Chapter 2: Assimilation

Headmaster's Residence, Vale 

After their rather sudden and unplanned discharge from the Atlesian Black Ops, they had been placed upon an airship that took them away from Atlas and into Valean territory. Though they weren't sent to just any random area of the kingdom of Vale, they were taken to the Headmaster's residence where they had spent the majority of their lives in.

The small aircraft possessed a single viewing gallery, approximately 12 feet across, which ran along the bottom of the hull with four semicircular windows, mounted at a downward oblique angle, on each side. Due to the structure of the airship, it had to remain hovering in the air. However, the skill of the pilots were made paramount as the airship did not move an inch upon settling itself in front of the gateway to the Headmaster's Residence. Folding its wings downwards so that it would provide more stability to its structure as it settled itself, the ship then opened its doors and unleashed a ramp that led to the ground.

With baggage in hand, Kiran and Byron followed after Ozpin off the ship. The ship took off and then headed back in the direction of Atlas.

They followed the yellow brick road that led to the massive green doors of the palace-like structure. Being the headmaster of a prestigious school like Beacon did earn Ozpin a number of perks, and a living establishment was one of those things. Of course, due to having a considerable amount of pocket money due to his years as a huntsman and calling in a few favours from his more wealthy associates, he was capable of giving the old headmaster's living quarters a complete renovation. The headmaster's quarters looked like it was made entirely out of emeralds, and the bright light of the sun reflected brilliantly off the architectural marvel making it seem as if it were carved by the deities of the world themselves.

"Well then, shall we go inside?" He asked rhetorically. With a hop and skip to amuse his former students -which it didn't- they climbed the stairs and entered through the doors that led into the equally emerald coloured palace. The floors were tiled like a chessboard, black and white. Statues of emerald coloured knights lined the halls, and beautifully coloured paintings adorned the walls.

The boys then turned and watched as robots emerged from the hallways the robots following after them before coming to a halt before Ozpin. The robots stood at a rather diminutive height of three feet and eight inches, were all painted green and purple and had shining green lights for eyes. Each one looked like a miniature humanoid, their mechanics releasing audible whirring sounds with each move they made.

"You remember the Munchkins, don't you?" The huntsmen-assassins nodded in confirmation upon seeing the tiny androids.

 _"Master Ozpin, the meals are prepared for Masters Kiran and Byron."_ One robot declared.

 _"Also, we have organized the training area and opened the weapons vault for when they decide to use the premises."_ A second robot spoke.

 _"Will there be anything else you require us to do, Master Ozpin?"_ Ozpin nodded his head.

"Yes." He gestured to the small suitcases the Gopaul brothers held in their tiny hands. "Please take Byron's and Kiran's things up to their rooms and organize them accordingly. Once that is done, you may return to your regular duties." The robotic drones did as they were told. Two of the Munchkins walked over to the boys and took their luggage from them before moving off. Climbing the spiraling staircase that led to the upper regions of the Ozpin residence, they vanished from view as they went into a hallway. The remainder of the Munchkins then accompanied the three males as Ozpin led them through the hallways, past the kitchen and into the dining area.

A lengthy dining table was laid out and a series of platters with their lunches resting upon said table as if it were awaiting their presence, which, in a sense, it was seeing as how the Munchkins had set out the meals beforehand.

"I took the liberty of placing the same meal you boys had when you first arrived in this place. So today, you shall be having spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, some broccoli and a small salad. And to drink, well, I decided to sneak in a bit of a guilty pleasure of yours and got you some soda." He gave a sly wink to the two black haired boys.

"Mom used to give us this as our Wednesday dinner before you took us in for training." Byron said.

"...We haven't seen mom in quite long time. Dad and Ari too." Kiran muttered.

"I can assure you Kiran, your parents are both fine and your little brother has improved greatly with his therapy sessions." Ozpin said. The boys looked at their Master and their hardened gazes softened at hearing those words, especially the ones concerning their little brother.

"Is he really?" Byron asked.

"Mhmm." Ozpin nodded. "I know it's been years since you boys last saw him, but he still remembers you all. Your parents make it their mission to make sure your brother knows how amazing his older brothers are." The boys laughed lightly at that.

"I'm sure he wouldn't be so proud if he knew what exactly it was that we do." The brothers replied.

"Save the world from the villains that lurk within the shadows of our dangerous world?" The headmaster of Beacon asked. "Boys, I made sure to ingrain into your minds when I first began teaching you. Your mission as huntsmen was to kill the few so that the many with thrive. I made sure you were both capable of performing those tasks to the best of your abilities, and you have succeeded. I could not be prouder to have called you boys my students, and I'm quite sure little Arun would be just as proud to hear his brothers are heroes of the kingdom."

"Another thing you taught us was that we aren't heroes." Byron muttered. "We are necessary tools for the four kingdoms, Vale in particular. We are huntsmen, warriors, assassins and tools...but we aren't heroes. Those were your exact words to us, and we followed them religiously, Master."

The grey haired man fell silent upon hearing his own words being repeated to him. Silence reigned supreme in the dining area and the robots pulled out the chairs as the boys took their seats, Ozpin doing the same as he sat at the head of the large table. The food was distributed, and with their tasks complete the munchkins turned to their master.

 _"Is that all, Master Ozpin?"_ The Munchkin nearest to the bespectacled man asked.

"Yes. You may return to your regular duties." The rotund looking robots nodded before walking off and vanishing down their respective hallways.

The trio eat in silence, the only sounds being those of the cutlery making contact with the plates. Once they had finished their meals, the three then ventured up the spiraling staircase that led to the bedrooms.

Byron turned the golden doorknob and unlocked the door before pushing it open to reveal their spacious living quarters. There were two single beds for the boys to use, with a pair of wooden nightstands resting on either side of each bed. There were two large wardrobe closets on either side of the room for each brother to store away their clothes in. A small chest lay in the corner of the room, their toys stored within its confines. A small bookcase was set beside a toy chest where the books they had brought with them had been placed. The bright emerald curtains fluttered as the winds funneled into the room and a large window allowed for a great deal of natural light to flood in, brightening the room. The two boys rushed over to the large window, their brown eyes widening in further amazement as they found their gazes were looking over a great deal of Vale's landscape, with Beacon Academy being the most prominent object within their sights.

"I made sure the Munchkins did some cleaning prior to our arrival. Your room was terribly dusty when I last checked it." The bespectacled guardian then looked over the room, making sure the Munchkins had done their jobs to the best of their ability. Opening the wardrobes he nodded in satisfaction to find everything had been properly set in place in terms of the organization of their clothes. However, he raised an eyebrow in confusion as the chatterboxes that were his pseudo-nephews suddenly became quiet.

Turning around, the headmaster of beacon found the brothers' heads turned in the direction of where their original home was. Ozpin frowned and he walked over to the brown eyed boys, resting his hands gently atop their heads.

"I understand that you miss them greatly. They are your parents and little brother after all." The brothers didn't reply as they were too wrapped up in their thoughts to do so.

"I would like to go visit them." Byron said. "That is, if you will permit it, Master?"

"Boys, those three are your family." The glasses wearing huntsman reminded his students. "You are free to go and meet them whenever you wish, and when you were training here, they took every opportunity they had to come visit you. By all means, if you wish to go see your parents and little brother, then go."

"As you wish, Master." The boys bowed before heading out the door. The headmaster of Beacon followed after them, but stopped at the edge of the staircase. He watched the retreating teenagers' backs as they descended to the ground floor and then headed for the front door. When the large doors closed behind them, Ozpin could only shake his head and sigh.

'What have I done to them?'

* * *

Gopaul Residence, Residential District, Vale 

Byron bobbed and weaved, his body making the rather exaggerated motions as he began to 'feel the music', or so the saying goes. His fingers flew across the keys of the massive, black baby grand piano. Both white and black were utilized as the marvelous tune echoed throughout the massive living room contained within the Headmaster's Residence. His hands glided across the keys as if they were the waters of a river flowing over stone. Smooth, easily and uninhibited. The last few chords were played with tremendous force, remaining sustained for a few more seconds than usual as the nineteen year old held down the sustain pedal on the instrument.

He then dropped his hands and his head fell forward as the remnants of the sound dissipated into oblivion upon removing his foot from the pedal. A few short moments of applause then met his ears, and the older Gopaul brother looked up to see his parents and both of his younger brothers looking at him with mahogany brown eyes not unlike his own. His mother watched him with a glaze of nostalgia over own.

"I have not heard that tune in so long, Ron. You've improved." His mother smiled at him. Charmaine Ramcharan-Gopaul was a petite woman, standing at a height of exactly five feet, with a skin tone which matched that of her eldest child's. Her black hair was cut short in a pixie cut and her mahogany brown eyes stared lovingly at her nineteen year old son. She was a pretty thing and to a majority of many of the guests that visited the Gopaul household, they would have claimed she was downright beautiful. She was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a white t-shirt with the image of a butterfly on it. A pair of light brown slippers adorned her feet.

"We needed hobbies to keep ourselves busy when not on duty. General Ironwood was kind enough to give each of us a 72 key keyboard." Byron replied as he stroked the key of Middle C. He then got up off of the chair, and walked towards the head,aster of Beacon. He then rolled his eyes as Kiran took a few quick steps and plopped down on the black leather seat.

"My turn!" There was a certain element of joy in his tone and the glasses wearing huntsman ran his hands over the keys in a moment of nostalgia. Byron took his place on of the white couch sets, each couch being capable of seating up to five people. He sat between his mother and little brother, and looked at Kiran as he took an audible inhalation to prepare himself.

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Mirror Mirror Piano Version)**

And then he began to play. The tune started off softly and slowly, the emotion he spent years hiding within himself coming out with each note he played. Charmaine swayed and tapped her foot in time to the music, humming along as well.

"Oh, I love this song." Charmaine said as she recognized the tune. "It was a few months ago, I went to this concert that was being held for the Schnee Dust Company's anniversary. He had invited Tony and I to the concert hall, and his daughter had went onto the stage. She was a pretty thing, that Weiss girl. I think you would have liked her, Ron."

Ron rolled his eyes at his mother's teasing only to unconsciously duck underneath the swipe aimed at his head by his father. The eldest Gopaul son turned to the man and glared at him.

"What was that for?"

"Don't roll your eyes at your mother's words." He spoke with a mockingly stern tone.

Charles Anthony Gopaul was a tall man, standing at a height of five feet and eleven inches, thus he dwarfed his wife whenever she stood next to him. He was large and muscular, but his belly was large and thus his children, and his wife, called him 'fat'. Out of love of course. His hair was black and curly, and his dark brown eyes met the lighter shaded ones of his eldest son. Having rushed home from work upon hearing his two sons had returned home, he was still dressed in his work clothes which consisted of a striped blue shirt, black pants and black shoes. His face was cleanly shaven and had a few blemishes as a result of suffering from intense acne in his teenage years. He wore a golden chain around his neck, a small golden bracelet on his right wrist and a black, shock-resistant watch on his left wrist. He was also of a light brown complexion like his wife and eldest son.

"Tony." Charmaine gave her husband a raised eyebrow. The heavyweight man accepted his name as Charles, but because it sounded far to regal a name to refer to him by, he decided to take to being addressed by a shortened and for familiar version of his middle name. Ever since he was in primary school he had taken to the name of Tony and it stuck with everyone that knew him. Of course, there were times he would take to his original first name of Charles, but the name Tony was much easier to deal with and so that was what most people tended to call him by.

"For a soldier you have no respect for your mother, you know that?"

"That's a lie and you know it." Byron responded.

The three stopped talking for a moment when Kiran had suddenly paused in his playing. His head was bobbing to show that he was still keeping the time of the tune he had committed to memory. His eyes were closed in concentration until they snapped open. The brown orbs gained a spark of excitement as what felt like adrenalin coursed through his system. His fingers flew across the keys as the true aspect of the piece revealed itself, echoing throughout the spacious living room.

The parents watched their middle child with a look of amazement and pride. Kiran's brown skinned digits were practically blurs as they across from note to note, from chord to chord. Arpeggios and scale runs were done in mere milliseconds.

"You were spectacular, Byron, but I'm sorry to say your brother has surpassed you." Byron shrugged at his mother's words.

"Meh, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. But in the end, I'm a better huntsman that he is, isn't that right, Ari?" He turned to his youngest brother and nuzzled his cheek. The sixteen year old boy laughed at the affection from his older brother. "Kiss?" Arun obliged and planted a small kiss on the nineteen year old's cheek. "Love you."

"I...love you, Ron." The boy spoke with broken speech, but given how he was many years before, it was a drastic improvement for the autistic teenager.

The parents looked at the pair of brothers with soft smiles.

"Master was right when he told us you improved greatly. Such a bright boy." Byron smiled as he moved to hug the autistic child.

"Byron, it's great to see you and your brother have been able to learn to do so many things when you're not fighting those Creatures of Grimm. I didn't think you would be able to find the time fighting all those monsters." Charmaine said with an impressed tone of voice. "Maybe you all can get around to teaching Ari how to play soon."

"There are things worse than the Grimm." Byron muttered under his breath before bearing a faux amused expression at his mother's words. "Maybe. I mean, we took every opportunity we had during our times off the battlefield to better ourselves in other things. Be a jack of all trades, knower of all, master of none." Byron chuckled. "Master told us that."

"Oz wasn't the only one who told you that." Charmaine informed him. "I always told you and Kiri that no matter what it is that you chose to specialize in doing, it would do you a great deal of good for you to learn things outside of that field. So what exactly did Oz teach you both during your teachings? Surely it wasn't just how to fight."

Byron nodded in confirmation. "Math, science, history, business, language, music, and art...but those were just a few of things we learned."

"Wow!" Charles and Charmaine turned to each other and then back to their eldest son. "He taught you both all of those things?!" They asked.

"He said he wanted us to be prepared for the world itself, not just the world of being a huntsman. Fighting skills can only take you so far, not to mention it would be a bit of a stain on my pride if my students couldn't even master their multiplication tables as well as their ability to kill the Creatures of Grimm." The older Gopaul huntsman spoke with a joking tone of voice.

"Plus girls are attracted to a man with a brain." Charmaine joked.

"And that's how I got your mother. With my brains." Charles beamed as his wife kissed him on the cheek. Byron rolled his eyes at his parents.

"Well I'm glad he did. Studying and practicing our skills when not fighting, it was...calming. Not to mention it helped with certain side effects of being on the battlefield for seven years."

"Side effects?"

A moment of silence passed between the group, Kiran's playing still echoing throughout the room. However, before the worried parents could bring up the topic of what those 'side effects' of the battlefield were, the music produced by the baby grand piano came to an end as Kiran ran through the arpeggio and broken chords, a decrescendo allowing the music to seemingly fade out of existence. Kiran raised his head and couldn't help the smile that formed on his face when he saw his family clapping for his performance. He walked over and reluctantly allowed himself to bend down to his mother's height when she tried so desperately to show her affection for her middle child.

"Such a sweet boy, unlike your brother. He always flinches at me." She joked as she looked between her two eldest children. "You boys have gotten so good on the piano though. Kiri, I was just telling Ron that since you all can play so very well, maybe you'll finally get around to teaching your baby brother. Though you play so much better so I'm sure you'd be a better teacher for Ari than Ron."

Kiran grinned and gave a mock bow to his mother. "I take pride in my skills."

"Vain much, little brother?" Byron asked as he aimed a flick to his brother's ear, only to have his attempt at violence avoided by a swift tilt of the head.

"I'm better than you. I deserve my moment of vanity." He huffed.

"I'm still stronger than you." The older brother countered.

"No you're not." Lightning seemed to spark between their gazes as they directed glares of challenge at one another. The two brothers then turned to their little brother, his wide brown eyes staring up at the two older boys whom he admired so much.

"Ari, who's better? Ron or Kiri?" Kiran asked.

"...Kiri." The sixteen year old replied.

"HA!" Kiran jabbed a finger in the shorter huntsman's face. "SEE?!"

"Hold up! Ari, who's better?" Byron asked. "Kiri or Ron?"

"...Ron." The boys' heads fell at the response as looked down at their little brother with a sigh.

"He's still making choices with the last word he hears." Kiran said as he turned to his parents. "He'll have to work on that."

"One step at a time, Kiri." Charles said as he kissed his youngest atop his head. "Isn't that right, baby?" The special needs boy merely uttered a squeal of happiness as he continued to look up at his brothers.

"I guess." The glasses wearing assassin muttered. "Anyway Ron, I'm still better than you."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Kiri." Byron said with a sigh.

"It will, Ron, but I'm not sure the belief that thinking that you're better than me in a fight will keep you in dream land. Then again, maybe it is dream land that's making you think these things."

"You're an idiot."

"I win."

Byron rolled his eyes at his younger brother, said younger brother grinning widely at having won the argument. Once a person either made an insult, a correction of grammar or a jab at the other's mother, then the person spoke such words would be seen as having lost the argument. Though since the boys shared the same mother, the last one didn't apply in any context during their arguments.

"Boys, no fighting. You've done enough of that." Charles pushed his boys apart.

"Pizza." Arun suddenly said.

"Kiri, Ron, just go take Ari to get the frozen pizza out of the freezer and put it in the toaster." Charles requested of his sons. The former Black Ops members nodded and then held Arun by his hands as they walked off towards the kitchen in the rather large house. "It feels...really good to have them back home."

"It is." Charmaine smiled softly as she glanced back over her shoulder, watching her three boys walk down the hall before vanishing around the corner to go into the kitchen.

"MOM! DAD! WHERE'S THE PIZZA?!" Kiran's voice echoed through the house. The proud parents of three sighed and rolled their eyes as they then got up from their seat on the living room couch and headed for the kitchen themselves.

"Killers of the Creatures of Grimm, soldiers and self-proclaimed knowers of all and yet..." Charmaine gently pushed aside her middle child before sticking her hand into the freezer and easily pulling out the foil covered slice of pizza. "...and yet you can't even find a piece of pizza in the freezer."

"I haven't been home in thirteen years, forgive me if I don't know that that is what the pizza looks like." Kiran stuck his tongue out like the mature huntsman that he was. The boys watched as their mother and youngest brother placed the pizza into the toaster oven to heat it up.

"On that note, Kiri..." Charles turned to his tallest son. "Oz told us about when he was deciding to pull you all back from duty. While your mother and I are happy beyond words, it just seems like a rather sudden move. Why did you come home? I mean, for seven years you've been out there fighting the Grimm. Doesn't really make sense for you to pull them back out of the blue. What did James say about this?"

"He drafted the paperwork for our discharge when Master told him he would be taking us out of the Atlesian Black Ops unit." The bespectacled Gopaul replied. "And the reason he pulled us out was because he said he thought it was a mistake to have kept us out on the battlefront for so long."

"It was?" The parents tilted their heads in confusion.

"In his own words, he claimed that he made a mistake in being so harsh with our training. He made a mistake when he decided to have us go into the military instead of placing them in a regular team of huntsmen and/or huntresses to have us live as normal a life as they could with what we could do." Byron stated. "And so to make amends for that...he wants to us to be taken into Beacon Academy."

"To do what?" Charles asked.

"Ron, Kiri...that doesn't make any sense for you to go to Beacon at this point. You've practically gone through anything and everything a graduate of the academy would have gone through before you boys were even the legal age of being huntsmen. You've been fighting the Creatures of Grimm for the past seven years when Oz told us he deemed you ready for real life combat. You have just been fighting the Creatures of Grimm...haven't you?"

The brothers paused for a moment and glanced at each other.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Headmaster's Residence, Beacon Academy, Vale_

 _Seven Years Ago_

 _"Your parents must never know of what I have you do outside of slaying the Creatures of Grimm." Ozpin informed his students. At the ages of 10 and 12 respectively, Kiran and Byron were currently kneeling before their master. It was the day that were deemed ready for actual combat. They had been been learning all they could to prepare them for the world of Remnant's dangers over the past four years, and finally...they were combat ready._

 _"Master, if I may ask...why are we not to tell them?" Kiran asked._

 _"All of these assassinations are top secret and highly classified...and the council of the kingdom of Vale will place them and your little brother into their custody should they ever know of this. For the sake of their protection, do not, under any circumstance, tell them of what you do. Understood?"_

 _"Understood, Master." The boys nodded stiffly as they rose to their feet. They blinked and all emotion was gone from their eyes as they readied their weapons._

 _It was time to hunt._

 _End Flashback_

* * *

The boys looked back at their parents nodded in confirmation. "Just the Creatures of Grimm, yes." They lied in unison.

"Ron, Kiri...I'm a businessman, not a huntsman. I don't really understand much of what is happening when you describe things about what it is you all do with Oz, but...if Oz believes that sending you to Beacon Academy is the right move for you all to make, then I trust his judgement. However, are you sure you boys want to go to Beacon? It _is_ your choice in the end." Charles said.

"Master Ozpin is our teacher and guardian. He taught us that his words are orders, and as his soldiers we are to do what ever he orders us to do. He gave us the order to attend Beacon Academy, and that what we shall do."

"Yes, I understand that, but what about your own choices? Do you both _want_ to go to Beacon or are you just doing it because Oz asked you to?"

The boys fell silent at that as they looked down at the floor in contemplation.

That silence was then broken by the sound of a notification being received on a Scroll. Kiran reached into his pocket and pulled out the device and read the message that appeared on the screen.

"Master says that we are allowed to remain the night here with you all, but since tomorrow is the opening day for the new first years in Beacon, we will have to leave early tomorrow morning and meet him in his office." He said.

"Oh great!" Charmaine ran up and hugged her boys. "I'll make you boys dinner! What do you want?! Oh, I know...I'll do some garlic nan and tandoori chicken? How does that sound?"

"Anything's fine, mom." The former assassins replied.

"Good, and before we forget. When you go to Beacon, well...you boys be careful, and be sure to message your father and I everyday. And we'll do some video calls every once in a while so Ari can see your faces now." Charmaine said. She motioned for them to lean their bodies, and they obeyed. They bent down and allowed her to kiss them on their foreheads before they had their hair ruffled by their father.

"And I have to get back to work. I'll be back home tonight for dinner. Good luck at Beacon boys...and no girls in your rooms. I don't want grandchildren yet."

The boys rolled their eyes at their father's teasing, but couldn't hide the smirks of amusement on their faces.

"Yes, dad."

* * *

The Next Day

Headmaster's Office, Beacon Academy, Vale 

Kiran was never one for sitting still, and thus he had chosen to stand at a perpendicular angle to the floor with his arms crossed, resting said limbs atop the upper portion of the cushy, black armchair he was currently standing behind. He adjusted his glasses as he looked around the massive office. Its floor was made entirely of black marble that was brilliantly clean, the fact that he could stare at his own reflection was a representation of that fact. On the far end of the room were a numerous amount of windows which gave a spectacular view from the airship landing platform where new students or visitors to Beacon Academy would make their first step onto its hallowed location, all the way to the far off areas of the kingdom of Vale itself. Above his head, a numerous amount of gears, springs and other mechanisms that one would normally find in a clock, and could only possibly be identified in its entirety by a master clock maker, moved noisily above him. The rotating gears stretched very high up to the point that it made the younger huntsman remember his lessons on the history of the prestigious academy.

During the days of the Great War between early man and the Creatures of Grimm, man fought with their basic tools. Wood, stone and other more natural elements of nature to produce weapons in order to fight the red eyed monsters. However, when man was pushed into a corner, like any cornered animal...that was when they unlocked their greatest moments of ingenuity and strength. They found their hope, their light in the darkness, in the form of Dust. The natural energy propellant that, originally, was found in four basic elements; fire, ice, lightning, and wind. With these elemental energies now within their grasp, the forces of humanity were capable of utilizing the Dust in tandem with their weapons. They pushed back the Grimm and then began to find the time to develop strongholds to bolster their defenses for a number of years.

Beacon was one of the first of many of these strongholds. To bolster morale and to inspire hope for the realm of humanity, Beacon was built with a Dust and motion-powered beacon that could be seen for miles on end from it position. Originally, it was powered by using Red Dust to heat a metal wire to extremely high temperatures, thus producing a bright light. When technology began to hit its turning point and delved into far more complicated aspects of physics, the usage of rotating gears were used when the concept of the perpetual motion machine was delved into. A perpetual motion machine was a machine that was capable of running forever and could function to carry out whatever task they were designed to perform, all without the need for an external energy source. However, because the creation of a perpetual motion machine would break the laws of physics in the forms of the first two laws of thermodynamics, a perpetual motion machine was described as being impossible to create. The gears above all ran on Yellow Dust which was capable of harnessing the element of lightning and thus produce the necessary electrical energy to power the gears.

And so, the bright light beacon continued to serve its purpose. Its purpose of reminding people of what humanity had accomplished, what struggles they had to endure for peace, and inspiring them to work hard to become huntsmen and huntresses like the members of humanity and Faunus-kind before them. And for the students that were scared of the dark, it acted as a night light.

The brown eyed weapons specialist then turned his head away from the rotating mechanisms above before focusing back on the true reason for his mind's confused state...before being distracted as he usually was when not in combat. He frowned before turning to his older brother, meeting his stare of confusion with his own. The nineteen year old hunter was seated in a cushy black armchair, completely identical to the one his brother was leaning against.

"Master, can you explain again why we are needed to attend Beacon?" Byron asked.

"Now I understand from a different perspective that is actually a rather selfish and self-helping method of action to take, and I wholeheartedly agree with that point of view. However, when I took you boys in to train you...I wanted to make you into the very best huntsmen that could ever be forged forth from the flames of your generation. To be honest, I would like to believe I succeeded, but at the cost of your humanity."

"Humanity is a flawed existence." Kiran stated. "We fight and kill one another, we discriminate out of fear of things we don't understand instead of looking for ways in order to understand those things, and that is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Besides, Master..." Byron flicked his wrists and his gauntlets assembled over his gloves as the black metal plates emerged from the circlets around his wrists and folded over them. "We accepted our fates the day we chose to don the weapons we now hold in our possession."

"I am aware of that." Ozpin nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. "Now then, I wanted to inform you boys that since you took the airship with me to come to Beacon, you are here earlier than the other students." He rose up from his seat and walked over to the massive windows that looked over the kingdom of Vale. The view was spectacular, but that was not what the trio of males was currently focusing on.

At the end of the academy's main avenue, the aerial docking bays were present, and approaching said docking bays were the relatively large transport ships where the majority of, if not the entirety of the new students, and possibly a few older students who didn't remain on campus, were present. Running on Dust like everything else in the world of Remnant, the energy propellant activated the slowly turning wings that acted very much like how a turtle's flippers would in order to propel it through the water. It was a rather effective motion as the massive transport moved through the air at a rather significant pace despite its massive size. It was also heavily armoured since due to its lack of weaponry, the airship was very vulnerable to the attacks of the airborne Creatures of Grimm such as the Nevermore.

However, to make sure that armour was never had to be put to use, a small five-man squadron of Bullheads was positioned in a circular formation around each transport. The Bullhead was a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) tiltjet aircraft, thus it was far more capable of performing aerial manuevers that normal combat oriented airships could not. Through the use of jet engines with thrust vectoring to achieve both forward flight, and complete vertical ascent and descent, the Bullhead could hover, take off, and land vertically. Such mechanisms also allowed for the aircraft to tilt or turn sharply while still in the same airspace. Attached to the chin of each aircraft was a machine gun turret that could fire over 100 armour piercing rounds in one minute.

Their hovering capabilities were highlighted once the transport ships docked themselves and allowed their passengers to exit along the small ramps they produced.

Kiran raised an eyebrow as he looked over at one airship and noticed a blonde boy hunched over a trashcan. Judging from his body language, and the fact that he was over a trashcan, he was obviously vomiting.

"Never encountered a huntsman with airsickness before." The taller student of Ozpin muttered.

"Now then, to begin your assimilation back into society and to meet your soon-to-be classmates, I think you boys should go out and maybe make some acquaintances. Who knows, they could possibly turn out to be friends in the long run, and for the female members...well they could be much more. Byron, I looked over the list of new first years and it seems the Schnee girl is attending."

"My parents talked to you about the concert when they saw her, didn't they?"

"She is a pretty thing, and she is a spitfire just like how you were when you were a child." Ozpin replied with a smirk of amusement. Byron merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Also, when you go out, I would like to ask that you boys leave your weapons behind with me."

Byron and Kiran looked at each other. They hesitantly did as they were told, but in the end they had to ask..."Why?"

Ozpin looked down at the pair of armoured gloves from Byron and the sheaths that held his taller student's blades. "Let's just say that by tomorrow morning, you boys will be in for quite a surprise. Now go."

"Yes Master." The boys replied before walking off and exited the office.

* * *

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Welcome to Beacon)**

Main Avenue, Beacon Academy, Vale  


The students of Ozpin exited through the massive and impressive main doorway that led to the amphitheater on the other side. The main avenue of Beacon was quite large in comparison to how it looked from the headmaster's office. It was a large pathway that allowed the crowds of students and would-be students to easily head in their direction. The avenue was marked with trees and flag-draped light-poles, as well as a number of aqueduct-like features and impressive archways. Adding to the academy's aesthetic, there was a stone statue that acted as a sort of landmark. The statue depicted the image of a huntsman facing to the left wielding a sword in triumphant manner beside a huntress who was looking to right, and wielded a double-bladed battle axe. They were standing atop a rock formation. Facing in the same direction as the huntsman, the carved image of a Beowolf stood beneath the rock formation that the two stone warriors were standing upon.

As the brothers reached the area near to the cliff-side aerial docks, they immediately tensed when they heard the sound of a commotion going on. They went to go for their weapons, but then they frowned as they grasped nothing but air.

"Oh. Right." They mumbled as they remembered that they handed their weapons to Ozpin for their 'surprise' tomorrow. Whatever the hell that was.

"What are you doing?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?!" The brothers looked to see the image of a young girl yelling at another young girl. The source of the yelling was rather short, standing at a height of around 5'3". She wore a pale blue bolero jacket over a similarly colored thigh-length dress with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of the dress. The inside of the bolero was red and the sleeves turned blue as they get closer to her wrists. The back of the bolero displays the easily recognizable snowflake-like crest that was the Schnee Crest. She wore two distinct pieces of jewelery; the first being an apple-shaped necklace, and the other being a pair of thin, rectangular earrings. She wore white, heeled wedge boots that went up to her mid-calf; the insides were also lined with red. Her long, white hair was pulled back in an off-center ponytail, at the base of which is a small tiara that resembles icicles. She had a pale complexion and ice blue eyes that were currently bearing down upon the shorter girl. The crooked scar going down her left eye seeming to increase the intimidation factor she now possessed.

"Sorry." The girl on the ground replied. She was laying in a pile of luggage, and judging from the direction the situation was headed, it was obvious they belong to the Schnee girl.

"Seems we've already run into Weiss it seems." Byron muttered. "Just great. Now Master, mom and dad won't ever stop annoying me." Kiran ignored his brother's complaint as he continued to watch the scene unfold.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?!" Kiran watched with a look mild expression of pity as he watched the Schnee girl snatch away one of her suitcases when the red hooded girl on the ground appeared to be helping her gather the Schnee girl's belongings. "This is Dust! Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"

"Uh..."

"Are you stupid?!"

Kiran's eyes suddenly gained a look of anger as he looked over to the Schnee. He had been called that word more times than he could count when he and his older brother argued. To judge a person, much less belittle one's intelligence, when you were not even aware of what they were capable of was one of the things that really grated on his nerves.

And the act of her whipping out a bottle of Red Dust to shake in the hooded girl's face was one that made him question as the particulate matter wafted out from the bottle. Kiran and Byron watched with wide eyes as the red hooded girl suddenly gained an irritated look on her face, bearing a rather humourous expression as she suddenly reared back her head and...

"ACHOO!"

BOOM!

The small explosion seemed to rock the entirety of Beacon. Crimson embers mixed with sparks of golden voltage and blue frost flowed out from the black smoke cloud that formed from the explosion. When the smoke cloud died down, the two girls looked over themselves to see that they were pretty much all in one piece.

"Th-Thanks." Kiran merely nodded in response to the girl he was currently holding as he rested her down on her feet. Though, it appeared his brother did not receive the same courteous reply of thanks as he and the silver eyed girl heard a cry of surprise.

"What the...? Who are you?!" Weiss snapped. "Let me go!"

Byron did as instructed as he rested the girl down on the ground from her 'princess carry' position in his arms. "My brother and I merely moved to help you both from being injured in the explosion that just occurred. Which, by the way, should not have occurred if you were aware that your Dust containers were not properly sealed."

Weiss's ice blue eyes glared at the older Gopaul brother. "Well none of that would have happened had _she_ not knocked over all my luggage!"

"Look _princess_..." The girl that was on the receiving on the verbal tongue lashing glared at the Schnee heiress. "...I said I was sorry!"

"It's heiress actually." The four members of the small group were soon gifted with the addition of a fifth.

She was a young girl of light olive complexion, similar to that of Weiss's. She had long, wavy black hair, and her eyes were amber, complemented by light-purple eye shadow flaring backwards. Her eyes were slightly tilted upwards at the ends. A black ribbon tied in the form of a bow was worn in her hair. Her outfit consisted of black low-heeled boots and stockings that started off black at her hips, but gradually faded to purple as they neared her shoes. On the outside of her stockings, there were white symbols that looked similar to flowers. Black ribbons adorned both her arms, with a black detached sleeve and a silver band on her left arm. She had on a white, sleeveless undershirt that exposed part of her midriff with white shorts that may be connected to her shirt, although it is partly obscured by the black buttoned vest she wore over her curvaceous form. Her shorts had a zipper on the front of each leg. Her outfit was finished off with a detached scarf-like collar around her neck.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." The amber eyed girl spoke as she held the Red Dust vial in her hands, handing it back to Weiss.

"Finally, someone with an education." She sighed with relief as she accepted the re-sealed vial.

"The same company rumoured for its rather shady dealings and questionable business partners." Weiss's eyes lost their light of happiness before being replaced with dark rage. With a huff, Weiss turned and walked off with what the others assumed to be her bodyguards as they gathered her luggage atop the trolly and it pushed it along.

The black haired girl then made her move to walk off, but the Gopaul brothers had kept their eyes on her since her arrival.

"She looks...familiar." Kiran muttered.

"I thought so too." Byron added as he leaned in closer to his taller brother. "I'll follow after her and see if something will click. Take the kid and make a friend."

Kiran grunted, but nodded as he watched his shorter brother move after the bow-wearing girl. He then looked down at the red and black clad girl as she dropped her head with a sigh.

"At least I'm not the only one having a bad first day, right?" She asked rhetorically as she glanced up at the much taller boy. "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." She held out her hand to shake, but Kiran merely watched the outstretched limb. The silver eyed girl released a nervous chuckle and was beginning to feel a bit exposed as the mahogany brown eyes seemed to stare into her very soul as he gave her a once over.

She was pretty short, standing at a height of 5'2". She was dressed in a black blouse and a skirt with red trimmings, complete with a red cloak that was held to her shoulders by a pair of silver, cross-shaped pins. Judging from her facial structure and body type she looked to be in her early teens, thus making her younger than himself and every single other student in Beacon. Her entire outfit was made up of various shades of red and black, with black as the primary color on the main suit and red on the cloak. Even her hair is black, with a red tint to it.

"Ruby Rose...you..." He spoke as he leaned in closer to the girl. "...have silver eyes."

"Y-Y-Yup." Ruby chuckled. "You know, when I met Professor Ozpin he started our conversation with those exact same words." She was earned no form of response as the taller boy turned away from her. Following his gaze with a look of confusion, they looked to see an approaching figure.

"Hey!" The tall teenage boy greeted them. Standing a height of 6'1", he towered over the other two bearing a wide grin on his face. He had dark-blue eyes that are emphasized by his messy blonde hair. Despite his rather scraggly appearance, it seemed to boy was somewhat strong as he was capable of walking quite normally despite wearing a white chestplate and shoulder armour. Under the armour, he wore a black hoodie with reddish-orange sleeves and a symbol hidden underneath the chestplate. He also wore blue pants with a white patch on the left knee, as well as black shoes with a symbol on the soles. He had two belts crisscrossing his waist, both different shades of brown, with a pair of small pouches on them. His outfit was completed with brown wrist-length gloves with exposed fingertips and a small metal plate on the back.

Kiran and Ruby looked up at the taller human and tilted their heads in thought. "You vomited." They spoke in unison.

"Yeah." The blond sighed.

* * *

Gardens, Beacon Academy, Vale 

The two seventeen year olds and one fifteen year old made a small trek around the academy, moving through the rather well-kept, beautiful garden area.

"Don't we have to like...you know...go and get to the place where all the new students are supposed to be?" Jaune asked.

"We do, but Kiran here made sure we could get there in time!" Ruby said with a matter-of-fact tone. "Man, I'm so glad we came across someone who knows their way around this place. If it was just me and Jaune, I'm sure we would have been totally lost."

"Haha, no doubt about it." The blue eyed boy laughed. "By the way, just curious, but...you're no older than me, and Ruby's younger than us since she's fifteen. But, if you're a first year, how do you know your away around here like you already came here?"

"Because I have already been here. My brother and I trained by the Headmaster's Residence so we became well acquainted with the layout of the land."

"Oh." Ruby and Jaune replied intelligently. A moment of silence passed between the three, though it was obvious it was kind of awkward. Ruby and Jaune were walking behind the former assassin as he led them around, but due to neither of the three being adept at the art of making conversation due to their various levels of introversion, it was rather difficult to make conversation. Especially since Kiran kept making sharp, short answers to whenever he was spoken to, Jaune would fumble over his words and Ruby was a bit frightened to talk to people that were older than her that wasn't her sister, Yang.

"Soooo...I got this thing." Ruby spoke up.

Kiran's ears twitched and his eyes widened when he heard the sound of mechanics shifting. He spun around and already moved within striking range of Ruby, his left hand wrapped around her throat while the other had its place on her wrist where she held Crescent Rose. His brown eyes narrowed as he looked between her and the weapon. The massive battle scythe was coloured rose red with black trims, its blade forged into a crescent shape. Engraved onto the swivel of the weapon was the image of a black rose, Ruby's crest.

He then registered the look of fright in Ruby's eyes, and the one of surprise in Jaune's, making it quite well known that he had acted out of turn.

"I apologize. Like I said, I've been trained beforehand, so I am rather quick to act when I hear a weapon behind me." Kiran said as he released his tight grip on Ruby. The silver eyed girl released the breath she didn't realize she was holding before waving off the brown eyed boy.

"I-I-It's...okay." She stuttered as she moved away from the boy and ducked behind her other newly formed male friend. "It's my fault for just swinging around Crescent Rose." Jaune and Kiran then looked at the massive scythe-like weapon.

"Woah, what is it?" Jaune asked with awe.

"She's my sweetheart." Ruby grinned proudly. "A super sharp battle scythe. It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle."

"...A what?" Jaune replied dumbly.

"It's also a gun." She clarified.

"You mean you made that?!" The blue eyed teen exclaimed.

"Yeah." Ruby laughed. "Everyone at Signal designs their own weapons. Didn't you?" Jaune looked down at the ground with a frown.

"No." He drew his blade and the sun reflected brilliantly off the silver steel. "It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Looks more like an heirloom to me." Ruby joked. Silence passed between the trio as they continued their trek through the gardens, and Ruby realized that she may have made a bit of a harsh statement. "Well...I like it! No one appreciates the classics anymore."

"Your sword is well kept." Kiran said as he gave the blade a once over, the silver steel shining as it reflected the light of the sun. "And I will concur with Ruby." The brown skinned huntsman added. "While I did use a customizable weapon like Ruby and like most huntsmen and huntresses use in this day and age, I did start off with the very same weapons and techniques that you yourself have learned."

"Yeah, I guess. I mean I can use it to hit stuff." He gave it a few wide swings before his sheath folded outwards to become a shield. "And I got a shield too which I can, you know...carry around. And when I'm done using it I can just fold it up and...put it away." He chuckled nervously before he suddenly began playing hot-potato with the shield as he folded in and out of its shield form each time he made a grab for it...only to fail and have the metal defense clatter to the ground.

The black haired boy watched his fellow male with narrowed eyes. 'Wide clumsy swings and poor reaction time that he cannot even gain a grasp of his own shield. He obviously hasn't wielded those weapon for very long...How did Master let such an inept boy into Beacon?'

"Doesn't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." The taller boy said with a dejected look on his face as he reattached the sheath/shield to his hip. He then sheathed the blade and watched with curious eyes as Kiran walked up to the fifteen year old girl as he looked over her weapon with a sharp eye.

"I've seen a design like this beforehand. Master once told me of an acquaintance of his and he described to me a weapon quite similar to yours, but he would not share the design with me since he claimed his acquaintance had no blueprints."

"Well that guy is probably my Uncle Qrow." Ruby replied. "He's a teacher at Signal where I was attending until Professor Ozpin let me into Beacon. I was complete garbage with Crescent Rose after I designed her, but Uncle Qrow taught me everything he knew so I'm just like...WA-CHA! WOOSH! SHAZAM!" She swung the scythe with expert skill, spinning it through her fingers with expert dexterity before swinging it over her shoulder and stopping it just in front of Kiran's face.

The seventeen year old huntsman didn't even flinch, but Ruby caught sight of the fact that she nearly cleaved her new friend in half. Her silver eyes widened as she drew back her weapon and ran up to him. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?! I didn't cut you or anything did I?!" She quickly looked over his body to make sure she hadn't done anything.

"I'm fine, Ruby." He informed her before looking to the dual-purposed weapon. "Though, if you will permit it...may I see Crescent Rose?" He asked. Ruby blinked in confusion before looking between her creation and the former assassin.

"Ummm...sure, I guess. Why?" She asked as she delicately handed the scythe over to him. Jaune and Ruby watched as the brown skinned boy ran his hand over the metal frame before raising it up and down, as if testing its weight. He spun it around between his fingers slowly and observed the frame closely.

"What's he doing?" Jaune asked as he watched Kiran mutter to himself.

"I...I don't know." The silver eyed girl replied. "I'd guess he's so amazed by my handiwork."

"You think so?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe. But he does seem to be looking at it really closely."

"Alright, I believe that should be enough for me to go with." He muttered as he placed a tight grip on the weapon.

"What do you mean?" Ruby and Jaune tilted their heads in confusion, only for their eyes to widen when Kiran suddenly began to swing and spin the scythe around in the air with as much skill and dexterity as Ruby. He spun it over his head before swinging around in a wide arc. He then leaped into the air and then pulled out the trigger from Crescent Rose's hilt before unleashing a few shots from the sniper rifle aspect of the weapon, its force sending him rocketing through the air. He then bounced off the trees, the arches and a few support pillars in quick succession. He finally ended his airborne maneuvering as he pushed off the surface of a pillar and adjusted the scythe into its more sniper-esque form and let loose a few rounds, taking out one of the pigeons in the distance before landing. He spun the scythe swiftly over his shoulders before using the momentum to slam the bladed weapon into the ground and end his test run.

"Very well made." Kiran critiqued as he wrenched Crescent Rose free from the earth. "You should be proud of making such a weapon. It is quite possibly one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed."

Ruby only gave him a shocked look, her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she took back her weapon.

"You killed that pigeon!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Forget the pigeon, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed. "How did you...you got a feel for Crescent Rose after not even a minute! I took years to get that good, and I designed her!"

"I took the few moments to look over your weapon before I used it. When I was asked to choose a weapon to specialize in, I told my master that I did not want to specialize solely in one discipline, and that I would like to learn all. I know how to use them all; swords, guns, axes, the bow and arrow, scythes, pole arms and even a chain-and-sickle at one point. Though, I did finally end up specializing in the art of using guns, pole arms and swords, the swords being my main focus with dual-bladed combat being my preferred style. It took me years to develop the skill to do so, but...I also ended up picking up how to properly use any weapon I am given simply after holding it for a few moments." He explained.

"And what did you learn about Ruby's mega scythe of doom?" Jaune asked.

He pointed at Crescent Rose. "The weight is concentrated at the head of the weapon to produce maximum force upon making impact with the target after it is swung, and the use of the sniper rifle would obviously generate a massive amount of recoil due to its this size. Though, it was only by mere experimentation, I had come to believe that the recoil would allow the user to apply aerial maneuverability. And with the placement of the barrel of the rifle, it serves to show that you can use the rifle to fire the shot while also enhancing the speed, and thus the force, of your swings. Quite ingenious."

He then looked down and gave the young huntress-to-be, waving her hand in front of her face. He got not response as she seemed to be watching with amazement and awe. He blinked in surprise as he could have sworn he was seeing stars where her pupils used to be. "Ruby?" He snapped his fingers beside her ear.

"Marry me." She suddenly stated, blinking rapidly as she was knocked out of her day-dreaming state.

"Excuse me?" The brown eyed huntsman asked.

Ruby suddenly realized what she just said and coughed into her hands. Her cheeks burned as the blush of embarrassment directed her blood flow to her face. "I mean ummm uh...well...I have normal knees! Shut up!" She zoomed to hide her embarrassed form behind Jaune. The two boys looked at her before turning to each other, Jaune merely offering the shorter boy a shrug of confusion.

"Anyway, I believe now would be a good time to take you to the amphitheater. The students should be all gathered and prepared by now."

"YEAH! LET'S GO!" Ruby suddenly took off in a blur of motion, rose petals trailing behind her as she ran off in a random direction...until she came to a sudden halt and turned back to the boys. "Umm...which way?"

Kiran merely blinked in response as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Jeane followed dutifully after his fellow male as he led the way.

* * *

Amphitheater, Beacon Academy, Vale 

The crowds of students muttered to themselves in excitement. Older students were shown to be the ones dressed in the academy's uniforms and stood more to the front of the stage, while the newer students had made the distinction of hiding in the back near the entrance and were dressed in much more casual clothes.

"I'll leave you two to your own devices."

"Wait!" Ruby and Jeane called after their glasses wearing friend, but Kiran had already navigated through the crowd. He gently pushed aside a few of the people that were in his way before reaching the side of the stage where he had spied his brother.

"You seemed busy." Byron said with a smirk.

"I knew you were watching, but you could have just as easily joined the conversation. Master did say for us to socialize with our potential peers."

"And I did, though already _you_ seem to be picking up a girl." Byron teased. "Did she swoon when she remembered that you saved her after she exploded." The younger huntsman gave his brother a deadpan stare.

"Revenge for the teasing about Weiss?" He asked. Byron nodded in confirmation. "Very well. So...what have you learned about the Faunus that appeared during the little commotion we decided to engage in."

"Well, like you said...she's a Faunus. Cat breed from the look of her eyes which tilt upwards like a cat's, and the way her ears twitched underneath that bow."

"I still do not fully understand why it is that some Faunus decide to hide their features. We are working towards equality, and despite the workings of the White Fang being far less than satisfactory, they are not the representation of the majority of Faunus. If I were a Faunus I would take pride in how I look, not hide behind a bow. We are not the skin colour of those deemed as pure, and yet we have earned our place in the world as professional huntsmen." Kiran stated. "Plus I mean, despite the discrimination, I think it'd be pretty cool to have enhanced senses and a tail or a second pair of ears."

"That's just us, Kiri." Byron argued. "Master, you, me, and those who are pro-Faunus...we can only do so much to make change despite everything that we've done. We've done what we could, and we even tried to incite change when we were given the task of putting Adam Taurus into a powerful position in the White Fang when it was thought he could bring the necessary change for equality. Discrimination through race is a powerful force to be reckoned with, Kiri."

"I know that." The taller huntsman scowled. "It still annoys me."

"Master educated us on this. Anyway, before you interrupted me...the girl is a cat Faunus. Her name is Blake Belladonna from when I bumped into her 'by accident' and made her drop her Scroll. Though the reason she looks familiar is because she was there during the assassination we performed at the rally a few years ago to make Taurus into one of the power players of the White Fang."

"An error we were tasked with remedying." Kiran muttered. "Do you think she knows where Taurus is hiding?"

"It's possible. Remember those reports General Ironwood showed us about the SDC's train shipment a few weeks ago?"

"Reports from the Dust shipment by the SDC a few weeks ago tell of two members of the White Fang attacking the train and a blurred image from the memory of the AK-130 units that were destroyed in one of the train cars showed a figure coloured black and white." Kiran quoted, his eyes narrowing in thought. "The colours match the colours of her outfit. Even though it is a long shot, it does give us something to go on."

"We'll talk to Master about it later, but for now..." Byron was interrupted when the amphitheater fell silent and the lights were dimmed. The sound of a microphone's feedback echoed throughout the spacious area. A bright light shone down like a spotlight on the stage as Glynda Goodwitch to the stage.

Glynda was a middle-aged woman with light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were bright green, akin to emeralds, but were not sporting 20-20 vision due to her being equipped thin ovular glasses. She had teal hanging earrings with a small bead identical to her earrings on her collar. She sported a white long-sleeved suit that exposed a part of her cleavage, and puffy sleeves that tightened near the wrist before spreading back out near her hands. She had on a black business skirt with buttons running in a vertical line up the front of it and lighter black-brown stockings. She on a pair of black boots with brown heels, her weapon; a riding crop, being attached to the top of the right boot. She wore a tattered black cape that sported a purple underside and black, decorated by a row of diamond-shaped brown beads going horizontally across her cape. Her personal symbol, a tirara, was emblazoned above the line of beads.

"Now before you are all sent off to your living quarters, first, a few words from the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin." Glynda gestured to the grey haired huntsman as he was standing off to the side. Glynda shifted away from the standing microphone and the towering form of the headmaster of Beacon was even larger as he looked over the crowd of students and students-to-be.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge...to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose...direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

The amphitheater remained silent as the tall man walked off the stage. The instructions Glynda gave to the new students was basically white noise to him as he was flanked by his former students.

"Master..."

"I inducted Ruby Rose into the academy because she a talent that I could not afford to waste. Two years in Signal Academy is far too long for a combat prodigy such as herself to remain, and I believe I made the correct choice in bringing her in. Plus..." He turned to his fellow glasses wearing huntsman. "...she reminded me of you when you. With a weapon like Crescent Rose; a high caliber sniper rifle built into a massive battle scythe, I'd say she is quite the weapons enthusiast."

Kiran fell silent at having his incomplete question answered.

"Also, I've decided to put you boys to room with the other first years for the night. It'll give you more of an opportunity to mingle with your peers, and I'd rather not have it be a waste for your boys to attend an academy of this caliber and not make any friends."

The obvious form on discomfort at being put into a room with strangers was well hidden as the boys merely glanced away from their former teacher, but it was because he held that title that they relented. "...As you wish, Master."

The boys remained silent afterwards as they were far too obedient to utter their complaints, but Ozpin smirked as he could feel the small bit of killing intent they had been holding back.

"Good...because I've already sent out some luggage for you boys in the ballroom. Have fun."

* * *

 **(A/N: Now I know the way they act towards others in a bit all over the place, but that is actually how people tend to act in real life. You have certain mannerisms and ways of interaction when you are together with either family, friends, teachers and/or strangers. Also, they are soldiers that are trying to assimilate back into society- hence the title of the chapter- and it will very difficult for them do so. Real life soldiers struggle to keep things together as they suffer from P.T.S.D. and that often ends with different reactions to people. So, with Ozpin, they are how they usually are, obedient, machine-like, but still show a small bit of emotion since they are comfortable around him. With strangers, once they find something interesting about the people they meet, they are willing to interact but they do not do so very well. And with family, the boys are rather carefree and more open. Speaking of which, my own little brother is autistic and so the way Arun acts and the way Byron and Kiran act with their little brother is the same way I act with mine and is also how my own little brother acts so do not take offense to those interactions.**

 **The next chapter will start off with the ending portion of The Shining Beacon Pt. 2, but will only go partially into The First Step since due to them being professional huntsmen already, they do not need to do the survival/team building exercise of going through the Emerald Forest, so I have their own mission planned out for them.**

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter. Remember to review, review, review! Because reviews help me earn the drive to make more of these chapters.)**


	3. Chapter 3:Assimilation Pt 2

Mistakes

Chapter 3: Assimilation

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- This Will Be The Day-Acoustic Version)**

Ballroom, Beacon Academy, Vale  


Kiran and Byron had been waiting in the ballroom until nightfall, having had nothing to do when Ozpin had adhered to his promise of keeping the initiation ceremony as brief as possible. As the most important person in Vale, just beneath the Council, Ozpin was extremely busy, so it was understandable for his want to keep the ceremony brief, but a single paragraph of speech wasn't exactly what most students expected from the grey haired man.

Once nightfall had come, the Gopaul brothers had taken the bags containing their clothing for the night and the following morning and changed into their pajamas. Byron had stuck to just sleeping in his boxers, but used the white t-shirt in his bag. Kiran had decided to use the clothes Ozpin had picked out for him in its entirety, wearing a white t-shirt just like his brother, but had on a pair of blue, plaid patterned cotton pants. As the boys walked out of the ballroom's bathroom, they made their way across the massive black and white tiled floor, said tiles feeling cold against their bare feet.

Laying on the massive black and white tiled floor, looking very much like an over sized chess board as a result, numerous sleeping bags were present for all the to-be-first year students. Due to not doing well with a large crowd of people unless they contained people he knew, Kiran had taken a liking to the sleeping bag in the corner nearest to the massive glass windows.

"You really need to get over your anti-social behaviour." Byron chided as he watched his sibling glance over the relatively secluded sleeping apparatuses. Kiran turned and glared at his brother.

"Yeah well, you need to get over your need to continuously criticize me for everything I do. If you didn't keep doing it when we were younger, then maybe I would have more self-confidence outside of fighting and I wouldn't have had to continuously overthink the idea that every word that comes out of my mouth could have a negative result in the situation in its entirety."

"Hey." Byron met his younger brother's glare with his own. "It's not my fault you suck at personal relations. Don't blame me for your shortcomings."

'I can if it's true!' He thought. He held back his words for in spite of being a soldier, an assassin and a fighter, he was a pacifist at his core. He despised verbal conflict and usually whenever he and Byron argued, things tended to degenerate into fists and Aura use. They would end up destroying the ballroom if they let that happen, so deciding to be the bigger person, Kiran took a deep breath, holding back the rage that bubbled within his chest.

"Shut up." He muttered.

"That's what I thought." Byron replied. Kiran clenched his fists tightly. He wanted so badly to tell off his brother, to vent for everything that happened when they younger and training with Ozpin...but he remembered the words his mother told him when they left on that day to train with the headmaster of Beacon.

'Don't let him get to you.' He thought before turning around and walking off. The bespectacled student of Ozpin could only smile as he saw the moonlight had shone through the glass and fell upon the sleeping bag as if it were a spotlight. He dropped his bag beside the sleeping bag and sat atop it. "And the moon has chosen my sleeping bag for me. If I believed God was real, I would say He was at this moment."

"Don't be ass to religious beliefs." Byron said as he sat down on his sleeping bag beside his brother's. He reached into his bag and gained a small smirk as he pulled out a pack of playing cards. "Master really knows me. Up for a game of War?"

"Sure." The weapons specialist replied as the close combat using Huntsman began dealing out the cards. "And I'm not. Everyone has the right to believe what they wish, but I don't believe in God. I do believe that there was the possibility of a omnipresent, omnipotent being that forged the universe through the use of scientific processes, but I do not believe in God in His entirety. Besides, you and I both know that prayer does not keep you alive on the battlefield. It helps give you a morale boost, but that's the reality of it."

Byron sighed, scratching his head of curly black hair. "I can't really argue with that as much as I'd like to because then it'll degenerate into our arguments about our own hypocrisy."

"Indeed." The glasses wearing Huntsman nodded, flipping over a Queen and winning the round to beat Byron's Nine. The brown eyed boys then glanced out of the corner of their eyes as they caught sight of the other beginner students of Beacon beginning to file into the ballroom, already changed into their pajamas.

"We followed our orders to be removed from the Atlesian Black Ops, joined Beacon Academy and did our best to mingle with the other students." Kiran muttered. "Master could have at least given us the courtesy of staying in our rooms."

Byron shrugged. "Well, what are you gonna do?"

"Get out of here, break back into the house and sleep in my bed like I intended to." Kiran replied bluntly before pouting. "Or at least I would if I wasn't aware of the fact that Master would have the Munchkins on 'round the clock watch to alert him. He drinks so much coffee he rarely sleeps too."

"Suck it up, you're supposed to be the indifferent one while I wear my heart on my sleeve most of the time. Not the other way around."

"Hey...I have emotions too, ass." He roughly slammed a King down on the floor.

"I know." His older brother smirked as he flipped over his card to show an Ace. "Especially the emotion of disappointment since I won this round." Kiran stuck his tongue out like the mature Huntsman that he was. The boys continued going through the motions of the game, though being boys-teenage boys at that-they did glance up every now and then to look out for the rather attractive members of the opposite sex.

"People seem to be giving Pyrrha Nikos a wide berth." The weapons specialist commented. The seventeen year old red head was quite attractive, hence it was partly the reason her fit and curvaceous form caught their eyes. Said form was only made out to be much more so due to the way her red tank top and gold boy shorts clung to her as if it were a second skin, but the green eyed girl had a wide area of space between herself and the other to-be-first years.

She didn't seem to be bothered by it, but years on a battlefield gave one the ability to see through stoic expressions by a simple glance at body language. She sat atop her sleeping bag, her knees hugged towards her chest as she glanced out the window to stare at the broken moon, but her body and eyes twitched and shifted ever so often, looking at the other people in the ballroom as if waiting for at least one of them to come and talk to her.

"Well she is a combination of brains, beauty and brawn." Byron replied to his brother's words. "You can't expect people to approach someone placed upon the throne. It's like the same thing with you and girls."

"I talked to Ruby." He argued.

"Yeah, but that was out of the need to prevent her from being blown up. Not out of actual choice." The close combat specialist sighed. "You know I only want you to break out of that shell of yours."

"I don't _need_ to and I don't _want_ to break out of my shell." Kiran's eyes narrowed. "I've been fine in my shell, and my shell has been what kept me alive."

"I know, Kiri...you know I do." The shorter Huntsman placed a hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "But you can't be cautious with everyone you meet, Kiri. It's one of the reasons why Master sent us here...to get it out of us, to give us the feeling that we can trust people."

"Yeah I know." He adjusted his glasses before laying down his cards, having given up on playing such a repetitive game. "But it's gonna take more than a day to fix that for both of us."

"Helloooo!" The boys glanced up and looked at the sing-song greeting. They were actually a bit surprised to find that the person who was speaking, was speaking to them. The approaching voluptuous figure was a girl clad in a bright orange tank top emblazoned with the image of a flame in black on the front, and a pair of black boy shorts. She had wild blonde hair that was unnaturally bright for some reason. It was almost like sunlight had been stored in her hair, and it looked rather fiery in terms of its style. Her lilac coloured eyes were bright with happiness as she waved quite vibrantly at them. Though, they raised their eyebrows in confusion as they saw the girl dragging along a rather distressed looking Ruby Rose.

Ruby was dressed in a black tank top that had the image of a heart-shaped Beowolf on the chest and white long pants decorated with pink rose petals. Strapped to her head was a black sleeping mask that had two triangular shapes on it, reminiscent of a Beowolf's eyes. Geez, for a girl who wanted to be a Huntress, she sure had a rather odd obsession with Beowolves.

"I believe you boys are familiar with my adorable little sister, Ruby." The blonde stepped aside to reveal the shy weapons fanatic. The black and red haired girl groaned.

"Sorry. My sister Yang can be so overbearing." Ruby sighed as she looked at Kiran.

"Older siblings suck." Kiran absentmindedly commented as he glanced to his fellow Huntsman.

"I hear ya." Ruby nodded in agreement, and held up a fist. The brown skinned boy's fist met with her own, the silver eyed girl laughing a bit at how readily the older boy acted. Said older siblings frowned slightly before moving to lightly flick them on the ears. Ruby yelped in pain, but Kiran had made a successful dodge as he tilted his head out of the way.

"So, why are you two here?" Byron asked.

"Since Blake..." Ruby pointed over to the amber eyed girl, her nose buried in the book she was reading. "...wouldn't give us the time of day, Yang decided to become acquainted with you when she saw me enter the orientation ceremony with you and Jaune." Ruby replied with a groan. "I told you we would be bothering them, but noooooo. _"_

"...Then would it not be best to affiliate with Jaune?" Kiran asked.

"Well, when Ruby told me she made some friends and one enemy..."

'Weiss.' The boys immediately thought.

"...well, I saw Jaune. He seems like a nice guy, but...out of the two of you, you seemed like the better one to socialize with." The brown skinned Huntsman raised an eyebrow at that, but then saw Yang shudder a bit before pointing over to a different part of the ballroom. The brothers followed her finger's direction, blinking a few times when they saw the boy was dressed in full-body blue pajamas and a pair of matching bunny slippers. The boy was obviously either very sheltered or very comfortable with who he was, and though the former assassins never liked to judge by appearances, the bunny slippers did not help the boy's case when it came to the latter choice being the most likely option.

"I see."

"So anyway, as you may have been recently informed by my _disrespectful_ little sister..." Yang ruffled Ruby's hair roughly. "...I'm her older sister, Yang."

'Older sister?' The boys thought. 'Most likely stepsisters at a young age, but there is the possibility of half-siblings due to their similar facial structure. Sharp, very strong jaw lines...same father?'

The boys were knocked out of their thoughts as Yang suddenly pointed at the younger Gopaul. "And _you_ are said to be the one who saved Ruby from exploding. Keron, right?"

"Kiran." He corrected. "Short 'i' and 'a' sounds. 'Ki' like in 'kill' followed by 'run'."

"Oh. Sorry." Yang scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously. Kiran waved her off, though he did release a sigh in mild exasperation.

"It's happened to me far too many times to actually believe people will be able to pronounce my name correctly. I was actually quite surprised when Ruby got it on the first try." The younger Huntsman stated. Ruby seemed to swell with pride when she was notified of that fact.

"Name pronunciation is my specialty."

"I'm sure it is." Yang rolled her eyes before firing a flirtatious smirk Byron's way. "So, you're cute."

"Yang!" Ruby stared at her sister, her face the very definition of embarrassed.

"And you're blunt." Byron replied instantly before pointing at himself. "Byron. Kiran's older brother."

Yang's eyes widened slightly. "Really? I always thought older siblings were the taller ones." Byron's eye twitched at the jab at his height, but he didn't react beyond that. "Wait, but...if you're older than him, then that means you're older than all of us."

"Correct." He nodded. "I'm nineteen."

"I do like older men." Yang stated.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, slapping her sister on the arm. "Stop that! You're embarrassing yourself...and me."

"It's what I do, and I do it all out of love." Yang replied, patting the shorter girl on the head. "So, Byron?" The Gopaul brothers looked up at the busty blonde before following her path as she sat down on the floor, roughly pulling Ruby down with her. "Just asking, if you're nineteen, then why are here with the first years? You should be a third year by the system of the school. Did you fail to pass so you're stuck with us?"

Byron shook his head. "I have never applied to Beacon Academy before."

"Why?" The sisters asked.

"Never saw the need to." The older Gopaul replied curtly.

"Huh?" Was the intelligent reply.

 **(Insert Music: Two Steps from Hell- The Ancients)**

"I knew I could fight, and our master taught me everything he knew regarding close quarter combat. I can fight the Creatures of Grimm and I can kill them. I have fought to defend the kingdom of Vale, and, by extension the world of Remnant, beside my brother for longer than you can imagine. You are children in a world of adults until you graduate from this combat school."

"Hey." Yang narrowed her eyes. "I don't know why you have to talk to us like that, but we're not kids and since you're not that much older than us, I'm quite sure you don't have the right to call us kids. Besides, we can handle our own, and we've fought the Creatures of Grimm before too. Hell, Ruby took out a pack of Beowolves by herself."

"The Creatures of Grimm are not the only monsters in this world of ours." He replied. "The Great War ravaged the entire planet for over eighty years. A war which did take place between the Grimm and the conjoined armies of human and Faunus...but they had their own civil wars in between. It took that long for people to forge peace. Even then, peace is relative. The discrimination between humans and Faunus, the dark dealings done by corporations that people see as just and fair, politicians who swear to uphold the law yet fail to do so all for the sake of remaining in their positions of power...we have seen it all, and it...it takes its toll on the soul."

The shorter Huntsman suddenly looked very tired, appearing much older than he actually was as he glanced away from the sisters, and they suddenly had looks of pity mixed with confusion as they saw the expression had been mimicked by his younger brother. A period of silence passed between the four, but that silence was effectively broken when Kiran adjusted his glasses. The younger Huntsman blinked and the two girls flinched as they saw his gaze harden, almost as if it had been replaced with tempered steel and coated with Dust.

"You will soon come to realize that you need to harden your heart and crush the emotion within yourself to overcome what can be seen as the black and white outlook of good and evil. Heroes and villains are interchangeable for the boundary line is thin. Beowolves and Ursai are not the only beasts of prey, for even those whom you call your friends can be seen as monsters."

The atmosphere suddenly felt as if it had dropped a few degrees and Yang and Ruby watched the Gopaul brothers with a mild amount of fear as they looked into their eyes. Cold, unforgiving and merciless. It was as if they were looking into the burning red eyes of a Grimm, but only far more deadly since those were eyes that seen what could not be unseen.

"I don't believe that to be true." Ruby stated. The brothers looked to the fifteen year old, and the cold atmosphere vanished in a heartbeat.

"You are just a child, Ruby." Kiran replied. "You don't understand..."

"That's true." Ruby nodded in confirmation, but her silver eyes were still blazing with a fiery determination that made the brothers captivated as she continued her speech. "Yes, I am a child and yes, I don't understand the world around me in its entirety. I don't know what happened to you guys because it must have been terrible to turn you into such pessimists...but it's because I am a child in both heart and mind that I know that while there is darkness in the world, we at Beacon are supposed to be the light to counteract it and be just that. A beacon. You aren't the only ones to have seen a world without light in it..." The image of a woman dressed in a white hood came to the forefront of the young Huntress's mind. "...and it's...pretty lonely, I'll admit."

"Ruby..." Yang wrapped her sister in a one-armed hug, an act of affection the scythe wielder accepted with a smile.

"Blake told me that the world is not like a fairy tale. However, we fight the bad guys, we kill the Grimm, we save the innocent and defend the weak. We help people who are unable to help themselves because that is what we do. We fight so they won't have to, and Huntsmen and Huntresses are bound by duty and by obligation to protect the kingdoms and the world that we live in." The dual hair coloured girl paused before giving the brown eyed boys a small smile. "The world sucks, it's true, but...it's why we're here aren't we? To make it better?"

Byron and Kiran were taken aback by the younger girl's words. To have such a bright outlook on the world was...unheard of for them after spending so many years soaking the very earth with blood. Not to mention Ozpin was a realist, he shoved it down their throats that the world was always going to have shadows that formed even when the light would be at its brightest. It's because of that realistic outlook that the two managed to reply to what would have normally been a speech to silence negativity.

"Your words are truly inspiring, Ruby...truly they are. And if you continue to follow that ideology, I'm quite sure the world will be on a path to a better position that it is now, so you continue to wield your weapon for the sake of doing so." Byron had a small smile on his face. "A pure and young soul such as yourself can spark quite a bit of change in this world of ours, make it better." The smile dropped once more and a far more serious expression appeared. "But know that your actions will have consequences."

"It's like the saying goes." Kiran added. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"Then I'll just put up a detour sign that goes straight to heaven." Ruby grinned widely. The Gopaul brothers were once again made speechless by how the young Huntress-to-be was able to be such an optimist. Raised to be fighters, assassins, people who fought with the intention of making the darkness a part of them in order to help push it aside for those who didn't have to walk through it...it was taxing for the two boys, but Ruby, despite having seen a bit of that world managed to remain an optimistic and bright young girl through it all.

'Maybe...Maybe she really can change the world.' The two thought.

"Awwww, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang exclaimed as she hugged the younger girl tightly. Ruby's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as Yang had unintentionally put her in a headlock. The boys couldn't help but be a bit amused as Ruby frantically patted on her older sister's forearm, her face turning blue as oxygen was no longer getting to her brain.

"Yang...stop." She gasped out. "Choking...not breathing."

* * *

The Next Day

Headmaster's Residence, Beacon Academy, Vale 

They had woken before the sun had even had a chance to rise-4 o' clock in the morning-as the life of a solider required one to be ready at all hours of the day. Plus, the brothers wanted to return to their quarters in the Headmaster's Residence where they had been told they would be staying as compensation for their coming to Beacon on such short notice after having been discharged from the military. The Munchkins did not prevent them from entering the large emerald household, proving either that Ozpin had either remained true to his word that they could come back in to the Headmaster's Residence...or that he had not even made the Munchkins activate their defensive capabilities and was just being an asshole.

The other members of the school had all still been asleep during that time and so they were able to leave unnoticed. After they had showered and changed into the clothes that they saw as their uniforms, they adjusted the articles that were armoured and proceeded to head down to the kitchen where Ozpin was already waiting for them, coffee in hand as per usual.

"Good morning boys."

"Master." The two bowed their heads to their teacher.

"Take what you like. I know you were just following orders, but I believe that after being brought back here after your time in the Atlesian Black Ops and then being sent to sleep in the ballroom, you deserve a bit of a reward. So..." Ozpin gestured to the lengthy table where all manner of breakfast foods were available for them to eat. "...enjoy." After a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, sausages and orange juice, the time had become half past five, and the boys were now full and prepared for the remainder of the day.

"Now that you've eaten and freshened up, I believe it is time you come with me to collect your weapons." Ozpin said as he looked over his Scroll. He closed the device and pocketed it before rising from his chair at the head of the table, leaving the Munchkins to do their duties of cleaning up.

"Would you be willing to tell us the surprise concerning our weapons, Master?" Kiran asked.

"Ever the curious one, Kiran." Ozpin chuckled as his cane clacked against the tiled floor of his home. "But, I will not be telling you. After all, what's the point of a surprise if it fails to hold up as such?" Kiran and Byron glanced at each other, but sighed softly in resignation.

"As you wish, Master." Ozpin nodded and then pushed open the doors, leading his former students down the yellow brick road towards his school. They walked around the massive grounds, stopping for a while when Ozpin took the moment to appreciate the golden glow of the rising sun and the changing of the sky's colours. "A magnificent sight is it not, boys?"

"It is just the repositioning of the sun due to the planet's rotation, Master." Byron stated. "I fail to see the major significance in seeing the process as aesthetically pleasing."

"The aesthetic is great, I will admit, but the sun rising is far more than that." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee as he turned away from the sun's slow ascent above the horizon. His former students followed dutifully after him as he turned to walk towards the dormitory buildings. "It has been a sight that many cultures have seen to be the representation of new beginnings, the start of something new, a period of change, the sight of light breaking through darkness...the list can go on indefinitely I can assure you. A sunrise is a sight most people tend to take for granted and not many are capable of living long enough to see one. The Great War ended with the rising of the sun...and I'm quite sure that by the time you boys are ready to leave Beacon, you will come to appreciate the sunrise as more than just an astronomical process."

Silence passed between the three as they continued their trek across the academy's grounds.

* * *

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Episode 15 Score)**

Dormitory Buildings, Beacon Academy, Vale 

Ozpin continued to lead his former students around the school until they came to the large and very elegant looking building that was currently the dormitories. Beacon's dormitories were originally the low to the ground and very well kept barracks. The Huntsmen and Huntresses that had been stationed in Beacon during its days as a stronghold needed a place to sleep after all as Beacon once housed multitudes of human and Faunus alike, numbering in thousands which acted in the Great War against the Creatures of Grimm and during the civil wars that took place during and after it. However, after the eighty year conflict had passed and Beacon turned into an academy to train only the best and brightest of young men and women to protect the kingdom of Vale, the barracks had been demolished and replaced with large, 300 foot tall towering pieces of architecture.

There were four dormitory buildings, each one to be used by a certain student level. As such, there was one building for the first years, one for the second years and so on and so forth. Each building was painted white and grey with a few black accents to match the colour scheme of the castle-like main building, and consisted of titanium skeletons to give them strong and stable structures. Their walls were composed of thick concrete that was capable of surviving a shot from a bomb of Fire Dust at close range with barely a crack, and the windows were bulletproof and element-proof to protect against any Dust or weapon related accidents or acts of vandalism that could go out of hand.

Ozpin tested it himself after all. The vandals were expelled from the academy and given quite a good lashing via Goodwitch's riding crop.

Each dorm building consisted of thirty-four floors that had a large number of rooms capable of housing up to four people per room-after all, teams were comprised of four-and also contained lounging areas instead of dorm rooms in the first five floors. Beacon allowed hundreds if not thousands of applicants to take the chance to take part in their curriculum, but since a large majority of those applicants never made it beyond the team formation trials in the Emerald Forest, all 34 floors of the dormitory buildings were not...up to full capacity, so to speak.

The least occupied building, and the one which Ozpin, Byron and Kiran were currently walking through, was the one dedicated to the fourth years. A lot of students underwent changes as they moved up through the curriculum of Beacon Academy. The training got harder, the patrols got deadlier and the paper tests-information is power in many contexts after all-were made to be a lot more challenging. All of these elements combined made many a student cave under the pressure to the point that they either dropped out or they died in the field from overthinking things. It was truly a disheartening thing to see young people undergo such trials, and yet not see their goals through to the end. Beacon Academy accepted only the best, but if you could not meet the standards, then what good were you as a Huntsman or Huntress attending the best school in the kingdom?

It was due to this lack of students in the fourth year building that a large portion of the building had been allowed to be converted into a laboratory that had once started off as a single student's dorm room. And currently, the three Huntsmen were headed for the entrance to that dorm room as they traversed the lengthy hallway, pushing open the doors that acted to section off said hallways.

"Master..."

"Almost there, Byron. Have some patience."

"I've had thirteen years to develop my patience, Master."

"And you still haven't been able to completely master it." Byron was effectively silenced at that reply from the brown eyed headmaster. The shorter Huntsman turned and glared at his brother when he heard the snort of amusement. Kiran raised his arms in a mockingly feeble defense as Byron punched him in the shoulder, but the amusement never left his mahogany coloured eyes.

The three then came to a stop at the door to the dorm. Everything about the room screamed 'not normal', and even the most mentally challenged student could tell that. The door, rather than having a number like most, it just had a capital 'A' hanging above the peephole in gold. Its surface was painted to look like the normal wood of the other dorm doors, but the way the light reflected off of it showed that it was actually made of metal. Well that, and the screws which were used to construct the door and make it stable. Beside the door was a 10-digit keypad which also had what looked like a small speaker placed above it. Above the door was a black orb embedded in a circular-shaped socket, a red dot shining in its centre. Also, a rather plain looking doormat was present before them, though the mat was shifted at an angle.

Due to his OCD, Kiran moved his foot forward to put the mat back into its usual position...only to pause when he noticed a black scorch mark beneath the mat. His eyes narrowed curiously when he flipped the corner of the mat over to reveal that the scorch mark appeared much larger than how it was made out to be. Ozpin then lightly pushed Kiran away from the door and fixed the mat with his cane.

"Now, now Kiran, you shouldn't touch people's property without permission." He chided. Ozpin picked up his cane and tapped the curved end against the door. The loud banging sound seeming to reverberate through the halls. Suddenly, the walls seemed to come alive. Panels opened up and what looked like large mini-guns protruded out of the walls by hinged arms. Hell, two of them were shown to have descended from the damn ceiling. Red beams of light were pointed at them from all directions from the door's perspective. Kiran and Byron had already sprung into action, grabbing Ozpin and standing in front of the laser sights directed at him and were about to move to go and disable the cannons aimed at them and their master. However, Ozpin quickly stopped them before sighing.

"That boy, so over dramatic with his inventions and his security..." The grey haired man clicked his tongue. "Arthur, please call off your guns would you. I would hate for my boys to dismantle them."

Suddenly a whirring sound echoed through the halls as they guns stopped moving. The electric eye located above the door suddenly shifted, the red dot expanding and shrinking as it focused on the three of them.

 _"Oh dear, I do apologize Professor Ozpin."_ The voice spoke with a rather sophisticated tone and spoke with a noticeable accent that was usually found in the northern and eastern countries where ice and snow reigned supreme. In those countries, the people were raised to recognize strength and intelligence, but mostly strength. It was the true definition of dog-eat-dog in those countries, and in those countries, Kiran and Byron had once had the alleged pleasure of taking part in an information gathering mission regarding the use of Dust to produce ballistic missiles capable of wiping out a small city with one strike. They had successfully ended the arms dealings and destroyed any evidence regarding the plans when the demolitions teams were sent in alongside them to take out the dealers. However, it was far from easy. The workers, leaders and even their scientists, were all combat efficient. In those lands, there was a saying; "You do not fear death in the Mother Country, death fears you.", and to be honest...the Gopaul brothers were inclined to believe that death would indeed fear those men and women of that nation.

 _"O_ _h and you brought Kiran and Byron as well."_ The boys were knocked out of their thoughts when they heard their names. _"You're_ _here to pick up your weapons I'm sure, don't worry, I have them all prepared and combat ready. It was an amazing task for me to upgrade them and I'm quite sure you both will like what I have done. Well, no point in just standing there outside, come in come in."_

The loud sounds of gears and hydraulics in action echoed throughout the halls before the metal door released a few hisses. The door was pushed out of the frame slightly before rising upwards to reveal a rather messy looking teenager, about nineteen years old. He stood at a height of 5'11" and looked to be quite skinny, but that was probably due to the baggy looking, white lab coat he wore over his clothes. He was a wolf Faunus and had rather wild, messy white hair, with slightly spiky sideburns that ran down the side of his head to cover his human ears. His eyes were as if someone took liquid silver and poured them into his irides, vertical, slit pupils laying within them. Beneath his lab coat, Arthur wore a standard Beacon Academy uniform in addition to a pair of black, fingerless work gloves and a pair of magnifying goggles which were currently resting atop his head and covered the wolf ears which would normally be viewed openly. His upper canine teeth were shown to be much larger and sharper than regular Faunus and human canines, thus they protruded slightly from beneath his upper lip. The intellectually inclined Faunus also had two sword sheaths strapped to either side, the tips of said sheaths peeking beneath the hem of his lab coat. One sword was a Q-handle and the other was a D-handle.

"Do come in, and please don't take the mess into consideration. I am an extremely busy person and am often quite engrossed in completing my projects." Arthur said as he led Ozpin, Kiran and Byron into his room. True to his word, the room was indeed messy. It was the size of a regular dorm room, but almost all normally provided furniture and decorations had been effectively removed from the premises.

There were a large number of desks that outlined almost the entire perimeter of the room, with a much larger desk with a workbench in the centre of the room, which may have been Arthur's primary working place since there were more tools and mechanical parts located on that desk. The others were covered in blueprints, robotic arms, and a myriad of parts that one would normally find to be used in creating the multi-purpose weapons of today's Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Attached to the walls were conveyer belts that acted as shelves, each one containing tools and parts that were well organized in comparison to the rest of the room. There was also a few panels located throughout the room with a small box drawn on it in red paint. The box contained a picture of a burning flame with an X running through the flames. Most likely a fire suppression system made for his more flammable and explosive creations.

There was a bunk bed located in the upper left corner of the room and the curtains were closed shut to let in as little light as possible.

"I see you still like working in the dark." Ozpin commented as his cane clacked against the carpeted floor.

"I'm a Faunus, Professor Ozpin. I take in sunlight a lot, but sometimes I see the light as bothersome when I work. It is of no hindrance to be a dark environment, especially to a wolf Faunus such as myself, since I am equipped with night vision." Arthur replied as he moved over to one of the desks. "Please wait here for a moment, while I look through the clutter for your weapons. I had finished them within a matter of hours, but like I informed you all earlier, I am very busy."

The wolf Faunus then paused to adjust the carpet when it folded upwards, revealing a black scorch mark not unlike the one outside.

"Forgive my curiosity, Arthur, but...why are there scorch marks on your floor and underneath your doormat?" Kiran asked. Arthur didn't turn around as he moved aside piles of paper, pens and pencils dropping and rolling underneath the desks.

"Oh, yes, well as you are aware, I am a Faunus and I often had break-ins. Bullied and tortured, I decided to use my genius to create a machine that would be capable of emitting light through a process of optical amplification based on a stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation."

"...You made a laser." The brothers stated in a deadpan tone.

"Didn't think you two would know the definition of a laser other than giant beam that vapourizes shit." Arthur chuckled lightly. "But...yeah, I made lasers to protect me and my work since again, I was bullied. I used to have roommates, three of them since it was required to be a team of four. The scorch mark on the floor...that was all that remained of two of them after my motion-sensor activated lasers were full functional. The one under the doormat was what happened to my last roommate and team member. After that, no one bullied me and they left me alone to let me focus on my work."

Moving aside a few of his notebooks and papers and tossing aside a robotic limb that was very similar to that of the Atlesian Knight-130, Arthur pulled out the armoured gloves and the twin swords. He had a wolfish grin spread across his face, his body straightening as he held himself with pride. He placed the two sets of weapons on his larger work desk for the former assassins to look at, Ozpin remaining in the background as he took a sip of his coffee.

Kiran's weapons didn't look that much different, but Byron's were noticeably different as attached to the wrist area of the gloves were five large rings made up of the same type of black metal that his gauntlets were made of. Each ring looked to be larger that the one before it, thus making a somewhat conical shape.

 **(Insert Music: RWBY- Extracurricular)**

"Your weapons have been outfitted with my new and improved high frequency model metals. What makes this better than your regular Dust infused weaponry and regular steel or titanium weapons is that high frequency, or HF for short, reinforced metals are capable of being infused by a powerful alternating current and resonates at extremely high frequencies." Arthur gestured to his own swords. "X-Caliburn is outfitted with this same type of metal, and I will explain to you both why it is better than your weapons before I upgraded them. He gestured to the armoured gloves as Byron picked them up and slipped them on.

"Now, Byron, while your normal gauntlets were durable and strong, the high frequency models I created for you allows the oscillation of the metal to work in tandem with your Aura. Your Semblance works to give you the ability of hyperspeed combat and so your old gauntlets would often create friction with the air around it as you threw your punches and kicks. By using the HF models, your gauntlets are much more impervious to being heated from friction and due to having a vibration effect when you hit the opponent, it will break their bones far more easily as well as rupture their internal organs. I also used nanofold technology to make the HF metal easier to store within the rings as well as prevent any sort of chink in the armour, or so the saying goes. Those coating sheets you used in your old ones were far too impractical and weak in comparison to what you have now." Byron nodded and then he twisted his wrists to turn his armoured gloves into the gauntlets, metal folding out from the first and smallest ring. Byron eyed the other four rings curiously.

"And what do these do, Arthur?"

The wolf Faunus's silver eyes brightened at the mention before making the same wrist motions as the gauntlet user. "Ah, yes...the rings. Twist your wrists again just like how you normally do to turn the gloves into gauntlets and you'll see something truly spectacular, my friend. I'm sure you will be very impressed."

Byron raised an eyebrow at the rather excited looking genius, but he did as he was told. He twisted his right wrist to the right and his left wrist to the left. Ozpin watched with noticeable fascination as the eyes of his older student widened in amazement. From the second ring came an additional layer of nanofolded metal, making the gauntlet slightly larger, thicker and allowed it to take on a much more menacing, spiked appearance at the knuckles.

"Each ring contains another sheet of nanofolded HF metal that makes your gauntlets larger and enable you to hit harder. True, you and your brother use Aura to allow you to enhance your physical prowess, but this way, you'll be able to hit harder without consuming too much Aura as basic physics tells of force equaling to mass times acceleration. Since your Semblance will allow you to move extremely quick, the acceleration in addition to using your layered gauntlets will allow you to strike with much greater force. The downside is that the gauntlets are noticeably heavier with each additional layer, I put five just for the sake of five being so wonderfully evenly odd, but from what Professor Ozpin has shown, your strength is much greater than that of normal humans and normal Huntsmen. Why, the files show that you've broken the skulls of Nevermores and Ursa Majors with your old gauntlets, so I'm sure you won't be hindered very much. You normally turn your left wrist to the left and right wrist to the right when you activate your gauntlets, so the same action can be used to activate the other ring layers. To turn them back to normal, just a single twist of your wrists in the opposite directions will suffice."

The engineering genius then turned away from the older brother as he did as he was instructed, the double layered gauntlets turning back into armoured gloves once more.

"As for you, oh Kiran, being a weapons specialist such as yourself, I had a great deal of fun in upgrading yours. I must say that your design for your weapon is truly spectacular. A pair of twin blades which join at the hilt to form a double-tipped spear which can further be turned into a long range shotgun is very, very cool." Arthur gushed, stars appearing in his eyes as he watched Kiran look over them. "If only you were more of an intellectual than a fighter, I could use your imagination to create so much more amazing machines and weapons."

"...Thank you?" Kiran replied, unsure if whether or not the genius Faunus was insulting his intelligence or not. Arthur adjusted his lab coat and cleared his throat, calming himself down as he then pointed to Kiran's swords.

"For the blades of your swords and spear, Kiran, the HF model functions such that the oscillation of the blades weakens the molecular bonds of anything it cuts, thereby increasing its cutting ability. Striking, cutting, and thrusting attacks are performed with the blade, with the sharpened edge and point used for lethal attacks, and the blunt edge used as a clubbing weapon. Also, you are a very speedy and agile fighter so when in a fight involving long range weaponry, such as guns or arrows, you tend to do the sensible thing such as moving quickly out of the way. Your files showed that you were capable of moving fast enough to move through waves of gunfire headed your way, but you were forced to use your Semblance to block the bullets that would have normally hit you had they not been present. With your great reaction time and proficiency with your weapons, the HF model weapons you hold in your hands will allow you to be able to wield the blades with such accuracy and speed that they will be able to deflect bullets without damaging them."

"I can deflect bullets easily?" Kiran asked with wide eyes. "What about cutting them straight down the middle?"

"Oh..." Arthur's grin grew large enough to the point that it was almost about to split his face. "...you can cut those bullets alright. Almost as if it were a hot knife through butter. And I say 'almost' because HF is much more effective than that." Arthur turned to Byron. "You've been able to block bullets yourself with your old gauntlets Byron, but the HF model will make it much more effective when used by a proficient combatant such as yourself."

"Any changes to the shotgun?" Kiran asked as he turned his swords into the the twin-tipped spear and then into the shotgun. Arthur nodded in confirmation.

"Before you had the regular makings of a shotgun. Capable of holding a single cartridge containing 8 Dust bullets, however, I enhanced your shotgun's storage capacity by tweaking the internal mechanisms. You are a fast paced fighter, not so much as your hyperspeed using brother, but still fast paced. Your fighting style mainly uses your twin-bladed sword style, but there have been moments in much more pressing challenges where you use your true techniques, moving through your three weapons with amazing grace and without missing a beat."

Arthur made a motion for Kiran to hand the shotgun to him, and the brown skinned boy handed it over to the peach skinned Faunus. He gripped the barrels of the gun and the handle before bending it to reveal a large circular chamber where three bright Red Dust cartridges were sitting, waiting to be used.

"When you used your shotgun, you often ran out of Fire Dust bullets quickly so in order to prevent you from having to pause in combat to replace the cartridges, I installed a cartridge chamber in the shotgun. Like a revolver which has a revolving chamber to prepare the next bullet to be fired once its predecessor has been used, I installed a three cartridge revolving chamber for your Dust bullet cartridges. Once all the bullets are used, the next cartridge will take its place within the second. I've timed your ability to fire bullets in succession and you are very proficient to the point that with this new revolving cartridge chamber, you can now fire all 24 rounds within a time frame of 60.142 second." He then pulled out each cartridge to reveal each cartridge had its own alternating stripes of colour. One was red and green, the second cartridge was white and yellow and the final cartridge was blue and orange. "Also, since the shotgun is double barreled, placing the bullets into the position to fire two rounds simultaneously, I took the liberty of having each Dust cartridge in your gun to have different, yet effective combinations. The first cartridge has Fire and Wind dust for explosive shots which you are commonly known to use, but with the Wind Dust, it is now capable of being far more destructive. The second cartridge is a Concussion and Lightning combination to use for more paralytic methods against your opponents. The final cartridge are Ice and Lava Dust which can be used to bind an opponent as the Ice Dust will flash freeze the Lava Dust upon making contact to form solid earth."

"Interesting." Kiran muttered. "So I have Kill, Paralysis and Binding shots at my disposal."

"That is correct." Arthur nodded. "Of course, you can always create your own combinations or simply use a single type of Dust bullet like the Fire Dust you've been using most commonly. Also, you can alternate manually with the press of the switch right there on the handle." The bespectacled Huntsman spied the bright green switch on his weapon. "I've also improved the range to cover 900 metres; your older model shotgun which was used to kill those cult followers of the Creatures of Grimm having a firing range of 600 metres."

"That assassination was highly classified." Byron said. "Even if you are General Ironwood's supplier of newest models of technology and their designs, you should not have had access to those mission files."

"Classified?" The silver eyed Faunus snorted in haughty derision before taking out his Scroll, which looked far more technologically advanced than the ones they and Ozpin possessed. He tapped a few buttons on the holographic screen and he held it up to the faces of the brown skinned boys. One by one, pages of each and every one of their missions was shown. From their battle against the White Fang battalion to the recent assassination of Singra. "Just like the AK-130s, those security systems in Atlas were designed by yours truly. I have access to any and every piece of information within Vale and Atlas. Vacuo is still out of reach, but I'll work on that when I'm bored and not afraid to spark a war between the kingdoms for eventually breaking through their firewalls. Also, not that I needed them, but when Professor Ozpin asked me to upgrade your weapons, he gave me a few videos that showcased your abilities and skills, some of which were recordings from your first missions after you both were deemed fit for battle."

The brothers looked at Ozpin who merely shrugged.

Arthur pocketed his Scroll and then watched as Kiran turned his weapon into its original dual blades, sheathing them onto his back. "So...care to give the names of your new weapons?" He looked down at his own swords with a toothy grin. "X-Caliburn is, and always will be, my greatest creation, but it has been a method since the days of old, even before the Great War, that great weapons are given names."

"Brahma and Shiva." Kiran pointed to the right and left swords respectively. "I primarily use the swords so it would not make much sense to name their spear and gun forms."

"Indra." Byron named his gauntlets.

"Interesting names." Arthur commented. "And very cool sounding, like as if they were deities or something. I approve...now then, I believe today would be the time for you to display my creations in action seeing as how today is the team formation trials in the Emerald Forest for this year's first years...should they survive of course."

"That is correct." Ozpin nodded.

"Your work is as impressive as always Arthur. You have truly done a fine job with these weapons." Kiran complimented Arthur. The genius pulled his goggles over his silver eyes, grinning widely, his wolf ears twitching happily though they were invisible beneath the mane of white that was his hair.

"Always a pleasure to impart my genius unto others." The three Huntsmen then left the wolf Faunus to his own devices as they turned to around to leave. "If you need anything else, you know where to find me."

* * *

Beacon Cliffs, Beacon Academy, Vale

The long line of students stood near the edge of Beacon Cliffs that overlooked the expanse of greenery that was the Emerald Forest. Home to many a Creature of Grimm, this served as the testing grounds for the team formation trials of any and all beginner students who wished to continue their time in Beacon as fully fledged first year students.

"Now many of you have brought up the question as to how teams will be decided." Glynda spoke as she held her Scroll in her arms. "Well, those question will end now as you will be getting your teams...today."

Many began mumbling in excitement at the prospect of receiving team members to take on the forces of Grimm, but for those like a certain red hooded Huntress who was still new and somewhat alone in the school, it was nerve wracking and disappointing. Socializing was so...ugh.

'You're all I need Crescent Rose.' She thought as she patted her folded-up battle scythe.

"You will go through the Emerald Forest to head for the forest temple where, in the process, you will find your partner. Your partner will be the first person you make eye contact with and will continue to be your partner for the next four years at this institution." Ozpin explained. "As you arrive at the temple, you and your partner are to retrieve a relic and return safely back here. You must tread with extreme caution for if you do not...you will die."

The way he said those words with such certainty made many become overwhelmed by a feeling of dread.

"Any questions?" Ozpin asked. Jaune raised his hand meekly. "Good, then you may begin." Suddenly, the platforms that the students were standing on, began to lift forcefully, acting like catapults to send students zooming through the air towards the forest below.

"Ummm, Professor Ozpin...sir. I have a...ummm question." Jaune was so focused on the grey haired man that he was completely oblivious to how his fellow students were being hurtled through the skies. "Will we be receiving a landing strategy or will we be lowered down...or something?"

"Oh no, Mr. Arc...you will be falling. And you will be devising your own landing strategy." Ozpin's eyes gained a mischievous light in them. Jaune's blue eyes widened as he saw Ruby, who was standing to his immediate left, suddenly give him a small smile before she disappeared in the blink of an eye. The blond turned to Kiran and Byron as they were standing to his right, but they didn't even offer him a glance.

Jaune gulped as he heard the click of his panel catapult preparing to launch him. "Oh dear...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ozpin sipped his coffee, Glynda looked at her scroll and the Gopaul brothers stood as stoically as usual. Once the rookies all became dots in the distance, Ozpin turned to Glyna and gave her a mere nod of the head. The blonde woman looked at the headmaster with a small frown, but she sighed as she obeyed her silent request. She turned and walked away from the grey haired man and his former students to go to a much further area along the cliffs. Once she was deemed to be out of earshot, Ozpin turned back to the Gopaul brothers.

"Now, you two have been personally trained by myself thus you have no need to take part in such a menial task as going through these trials in the Emerald Forest. You two would just end up managing to find each other and return in record time and any regular teammates would hold you two back in the field despite my point of bringing you to Beacon was to make relationships. After all, second semester work involves working in the field under the supervision of a professional Huntsman or Huntress. As a result of the fact that you boys are already professionals, you will still need professionals as competent team members...which is why when I was looking through the list of applicants who wished to join my school, I happened upon these two." Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground, and in blurs of speed, two young teenagers, no older than seventeen appeared before the former assassins.

"H-H-Hey guys, long time no see." The wolf Faunus waved shyly at the brown eyed brothers.

The wolf Faunus was male, with pale white skin, as if he had not seen sun for quite a while. He stood at a height of 5'11" and made him the tallest amongst the four teenagers. He wore a long sleeved, white t-shirt, blue jeans with armour located on the knee area and a pair of white sneakers. The young man had spiky white hair, but unlike Arthur's, his wolf ears were capable of being seen through the spiky mane. A pair of silver gauntlets were worn over his forearms, the sharp claws glinting in the sunlight. Two spikes protruded from the radius side of the forearm area, facing towards their user's body, while a ring of similar spikes decorated the wrist area of the gauntlets. Each gauntlet bore a wicked looking, curved blade of gold on the ulnar side of the forearm. The wolf Faunus had sharp, piercing blue eyes with vertical slits for pupils. His nails, hidden beneath the gauntlets, were like claws and his teeth, fangs, being far more pronounced than any other normal Faunus. This was revealed by the fact that he had a furry wolf tail protruding from his tail bone area, swishing slowly through the air, and a marking on his left cheek in the form of a black paw print.

"Michael Bloodmoon." Kiran turned to the blue eyed teenager and suddenly, the taller Huntsman flinched as if he were a dog about to be beaten. "You still are quite shy it seems, but you do seem stronger."

"Thanks." Michael's mood seemed to brighten a bit as he heard the compliment from his former work partner. His tail wagged a bit as he offered the two Gopaul brothers a small smile. "I...I did a lot of training with the pack after our assassination together with Lora five years ago. I'd like to think I got stronger, but I hope that when we work together again, it will please you all to see how much better I've become."

"Your family is one of the few families of Faunus that still follow the old traditions regarding the formation of packs and clans. While harsh and very strict with not wishing to change their ways in keeping association and techniques within the Bloodmoon clan, you would have surely benefited from learning from your family. You were not a hindrance during the assassination mission five years ago, and I'm quite sure you will not have degenerated to a lesser warrior over the years." Kiran replied.

The bird Faunus's black eyes widened as she looked at the Gopaul brothers before a wide grin spread across her face.

"Byron! Kiran!" With speed that matched their own, the girl rushed forward. However, unlike with most fast paced actions, the brothers did not make any move to stop the girl as she wrapped her arms around them to put them in a tight embrace. "It's been so long since I've seen you guys!"

"Lora." The two boys acknowledged her presence. The girl, now identified as Lora, pouted as she released the two, backing up a bit.

The elated bird Faunus was a white skinned girl who stood at a height of 5'5", thus making her shorter than Byron's 5'6". She had shoulder length, raven black hair and matching coloured eyes. She wore a sleeveless, striped, dark grey top, a combat skirt which was outlined by black feathers, and steel armour which covered her legs and footwear. Strapped to her hips were a pair of rapiers, each one being equipped with revolving dust cartridge storage units just beneath the hilts. One rapier was armed with Green Dust and the other stored Blue Dust, thus showing the young woman wielded the elements of wind and ice. Around her neck, she wore a necklace bearing a raven's feather made of onyx as a charm. Her most eye catching features were the ebony raven feathers which grew from her upper forearm, elbow and her lower arm.

"Geez, you two are still such stiffs. Michael and I haven't seen you guys in five years, and yet you still talk with the same robotic tones and stuff like when we worked together." The bird Faunus complained and the boys glanced up from their shorter companion to look at the wolf Faunus. The clan Faunus shifted nervously under the stoic gazes of his once former assassination partners, his tail and ears dropping as his shy demeanour came to the surface. "Though, to be honest, when Michael and I chose to leave the White Fang a few months ago, I didn't think I would have run into you boys since I thought well...you'd be busy doing actual hunting."

"We had been, but Master deemed it necessary for us to build social relations." Byron answered.

The former Atlesian Black Ops members then paused in talking as they observe Lora was looking up at them with wide eyes. "Woah! You guys actually got taller than me! Five years ago, you were still so short and tiny. Looks like puberty did wonders, huh?" Michael and Lora laughed a bit, but they were not joined in by their fellow former assassins.

'I always thought those two would have a beneficial impact on the boys. Not even five minutes, and already they're holding a conversation, but...'

 **(Insert Music: Two Steps from Hell- Wrath of the Sea)**

Ozpin stamped his cane on the grassy cliffs and all four of them immediately stopped talking. They turned and dropped down on bended knee before the brown eyed headmaster.

"Michael Bloodmoon and Lora Ravencroft, you two are by far the most capable candidates I can ever hope to pull out from the list of new applicants to be the teammates of my former students. However, before you four can be officially instated as a team of my academy, you will have to _act_ like a team. Despite what I have done to them to make them as strong as they are now, I will not have my boys be hindered by weak teammates, understood?" Ozpin spoke with a serious tone, eying Lora and Michael as they nodded stiffly in response.

"Yes, headmaster." Michael's nod was extremely more so due to his constant need to please others. Being the youngest in a clan of wolves who, despite his best efforts, would not see his best as not good enough, rendered him with the constant need to please.

"Due to your past experiences in the professional worlds of being fighters on the continent of Vytal, you will be performing an original mission that I forged myself, and one which I will be supervising _personally_. Professor Goodwitch will be helping me keep an eye on the other students in the Emerald Forest, so you have no need to worry about my ability to multitask." Ozpin informed the four. "You will be tested on your ability to complete the mission as efficiently as possible along with your ability work together as a single unit, for I am well aware of your calibre of skills as individuals. Or as a two-man team in the case of Kiran and Byron."

"What is the mission, Master?" Kiran asked.

"Guardian mission. All four of you have been required to mainly do missions involving undercover work and ones involving a large amount of fighting. Intelligence gathering, front line battles or assassinations that sometimes became full flown fights for survival upon being discovered." Kiran and Byron knew their master was referencing to their recent encounter with Singra, but the powerful headmaster would not say it out loud. "With that in mind, I decided that one of the best types of assignments to give you all is one involving protecting both your client and the important package that they will be transporting with them to a secure location." Ozpin replied as he sipped his coffee.

"That's...not much to go on, headmaster." Michael said.

"Most of the information regarding the mission is on a need-to-know basis." The experienced Huntsman replied. "There is a small airship already prepared for you all at the air docks to lead to the kingdom's docks for seagoing vessels. That is where you will meet the client. Your client and the package are the top priority. If they die, then you fail. If you die, you fail. Am I clear?"

"Yes!" Was the unanimous reply.

"Move out." The four vanished in blurs of speed, heading towards the air docks. The green clad man sipped his coffee before walking towards Glynda as she looked down at her Scroll to survey their newest generation of students. Things were shaping up to be a very interesting year.

* * *

 **(A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Michael Bloodmoon and Lora Ravencroft are both OC characters of my own design and will be highlighted in the next chapter when they go through their mission. Arthur Asimov is an OC character who was graciously suggested to me to use by one of my fellow authors and a friend on this site, NeoNazo356.**

 **Also, now that I've adjusted Kiran and Byron's weapons, I can finally say that on my deviantart account, DrawerofAnime, I have posted up drawings displaying the profiles of all five of these OC characters. Appearances, likes, dislikes, hobbies, their weapons and how they work, I have sketch drawings showing all of those things for those of you who wish to check them out. The link to my DA profile is on my profile.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter despite it still be exposition. Action will take place in the next chapter and I believe I won't disappoint. Thanks for reading and remember to review, review, review!)**


	4. Chapter 4:Team BLMK

Mistakes

Chapter 4: Team BLMK

Docks, Vale 

The airship's engines echoed across the docks as it landed. The doors opened and the ramp was released to allow its four passengers to exit before it took off to return to Vale's airport.

"Oh this is so exciting!" Lora exclaimed. "The four ummm...The four...you know we never really had a name."

"From what I can recall from five years ago, I believe we were Alpha Team." Kiran replied.

"Booo." Lora blew a raspberry and gave her bespectacled comrade a thumbs down. "We need a better one. A cooler one. Something with...pizzazz." Lora made an arch shape with her hands and wiggled her fingers to personify her want for flare.

"Lora...P-Professor Ozpin decides on team names when they are created." Michael muttered. "W-We don't really have much of a say in that respect."

Lora turned and glared at Michael, the wolf Faunus shrinking behind Byron. It was a rather humourous sight to see the tallest of the group trying to cower behind the shortest male. Lora sighed in resignation and the bird Faunus's feathers ruffled.

"That's true, Michael, but it doesn't mean I'll like it." She muttered before looking around the docks. "So...any idea where our client is? Professor Ozpin said we'd be meeting them here at the docks."

Both pairs of ears on the wolf Faunus twitched and he turned to the left, his teammates following his gaze. A black van drove up near to them, the roar of the engine dying down as it parked in front of them. The doors of the van opened and out stepped a rather voluptuous and attractive looking woman. She had dark brown eyes, and long, flowing turquoise hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, ending at her mid-back. Her clothing consisted of a white lab coat which was worn over a blue dress that stopped at mid-calf level. A pair of blue high heeled shoes adorned her feet.

"Just putting this out there now, but...the client may have an obsession with blue." Lora commented.

"You don't say." Byron muttered with obvious sarcasm.

"Smartass."

"It's much better than being a dumbass is what my usual response is to such an insult." Kiran stated.

"You two..." The bird Faunus scowled. "You're lucky I missed you guys so much or else I'd deck you in the schnoz."

"G-Guys...can we not fight? Please?" The clan wolf Faunus pleaded. "W-W-We need to m-make a good impression for the c-c-client."

"Stuttering wouldn't exactly instill confidence in or abilities, Michael." Was Byron's response. The blue eyed boy's face fell at that comment before his ears twitched and he snapped up at attention when he and his teammates had their client standing directly before them. The woman's dark brown eyes scanned them, memorizing every aspect of their forms. A hum of thought escaped her throat.

"When Professor Ozpin said he would sending some of his finest students to be my guard detail I expected more, but I hope you are better than how you appear to be." The bluenette spoke with a no-nonsense tone.

"W-We are."

"Your stuttering forces me to believe otherwise since it spells out just how much self-respect you hold." She replied. Michael's wolf ears flattened against his head and his tail slipped between his legs as if he were a defeated puppy.

"Well, I honestly expected to see a more impressive visage from you as well Doctor Blu." Kiran stated. The wolf Faunus's head looked up from the ground when his glasses wearing teammate patted him on the shoulder in support, said Faunus's tail swishing a bit to reflect his joy at being defended.

"Oh really?" The turquoise haired woman asked. "Do you even know who I am, boy?"

"I just stated your name and occupation, so yes. I do." He replied stiffly.

"I mean do you really know who I am?" Kiran remained silent for a few moments, his blank face meeting her increasingly smug one. A smirk formed on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's what I thou-"

"Doctor Martha Blu." The bespectacled huntsman interrupted. "Age 35. Height: 5'2". Weight: 123 pounds. Graduated from VIT; Vale's Institute of Technology, and was capable of completing the four year curriculum in an impressive two years. You then achieved a master's degree in bio-engineering and a PhD in robotics. You are not married, and you have no children nor siblings. Your mother and father are alive, but you haven't kept in touch with them since the day you were employed at Atlas. You are taking part in their military program to develop new forms of technology, mainly in terms of energy usage. You also take part in the United Kingdoms' Research and Development convention every year."

Byron's head snapped in his younger brother's direction and he narrowed his eyes at him. He harshly whispered, "You are not allowed to reveal profiles on people we've been hired to study. You know that."

"Far too late for that, Ron." He whispered back before he looked down at the much shorter human befor him. "Are you satisfied now, Doctor?"

"How?" Martha asked with genuine intrigue.

"Truthfully, I do recall faces far more often than I do names. It was something which I took to doing during the missions my brother and I had outside of the kingdom's borders." He stated. "However, I am incapable of relaying the information you actually wish to know as that is classified."

"And given the fact that you've come to us rather than to local law enforcement, you know that we are all you have." Byron stated. "Now listen well. You are our client, we will do as we are required to do. Our mission is to guard you and your cargo from whatever appears to cause you and it, harm. We will do it to the best of our abilities and we will succeed. While I cannot speak for Lora and Michael, my brother and I have never failed a mission."

"Well, I can speak for myself and Michael. We haven't a failed a task, just like Byron and Kiran." Lora grinned as she fanned out the feather on her arms and wrapped her arms securely around Michael and somehow managed to snare both the Gopaul brothers in her grip. "The four of us are the bestest team you're ever gonna find on this side of the kingdom, and possibly in all the four kingdoms. We be bad bitches, homegirl."

The brown eyed woman raised an eyebrow at the bird Faunus's manner of speech. "Hmmm, well...while your mannerisms and method of speech leave much to be desired, you do have a look in your eyes that I rarely see in huntsmen and huntresses of your age. I will have to place my faith in that and hold some hope that you are as good as you say you are. Come. We shall discuss the mission details along the way."

The team of four nodded before following after the turquoise haired woman. She opened the door of the large black van, and while the students of Ozpin did not show any sort of reaction, Lora and Michael's eyes widened in a bit of amazement at how spacious the van actually was on the inside. Despite it being the size of an armoured van, which was already quite large, the interior of the vehicle they were in seemed to be at least twice that. The twelve seats of the van were arranged in a manner that was similar to what one would see on a bus, but with the seats facing at a perpendicular angle rather than straight forward.

"Spacious as fuck." Lora muttered as she took her seat between Michael and Byron. "Damn."

"Yes, space management was our aim when we constructed these armoured transports." Martha said as she adjusted her glasses. She reached towards the small panel of shatterproof glass that was placed between herself and the driver, and opened it slightly. "Mercy, we can move off now."

The driver, Mercy, was a dark skinned woman dressed in a elegant chauffeur's outfit- hat resting comfortably atop her head of curly hair- turned back to face the woman of science. "Yes ma...hmmm." The chauffeur paused and eyes as dark as her skin narrowed as they caught sight of the two Faunus members of the team.

"Is there a problem, Mercy?" There was a bit of an edge to the roboticis expert's voice as she raised a delicate turquoise eyebrow.

"I'm just concerned about having _those_ in the car, ma'am." Mercy replied with obvious disdain. Michael's wolf ears flattened against his head and his tail stopped swishing behind him, his blue eyes bearing a noticeable amount of fear in them as he caught sight of Mercy's cold dark eyes.

"Hey!" Lora's onyx eyes blazed with fury, her arm feathers ruffling.

"I am quite capable of handling myself even if there are a pair of Faunus in my vicinity. Now drive." The last two words were a bit more forceful as the glass panel was closed shut. Mercy gave one last look back at the occupants she was driving with before turning back to the front. The engine tumbled and the armoured van moved off towards their destination, wherever that may be.

The young woman took off her glasses and cleaned them with her lab coat, sighing audibly. She then looked up and reached her hand across to Marcus's. "Are you alright, dear?"

The clan wolf Faunus flinched a bit as the woman's hand touched his gauntlet covered one and the sharp clawed weapon had soon found itself being wrapped securely around her wrist. The white haired teen's blue eyes gained a far more animalistic quality than what would normally be seen in a Faunus, his fangs being bared and a growl rising up from within his throat.

His brain then seemed to catch up with his actions and he quickly released her, his eyes widening as he saw the reddened area on her pale skin. "Oh my God, I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to! It was a reflex, I swear!"

"It's quite alright." Martha said as she drew back her wrist, her brown eyes wide not from fear of the wolf Faunus, but in fascination. "But I must say, you are quite an intriguing one. The clan Faunus were always said to be much more, I would like to use a far more appropriate adjective, but bestial is the only word I can find. Please don't take offense."

"I-I-It's fine." Michael replied.

"I've worked with many a Faunus who bear the characteristics of carnivorous creatures, but to see so much...primal fury within a single being, let alone a wolf Faunus. Fascinating. Fascinating indeed, but a shame you would be put through so much ridicule if that were to happen to anyone like Mercy."

"You...You sympathize with the Faunus?" Lora asked, tilting her head in confusion. "You don't fear us?"

Martha snorted in haughty derision. "My dear girl, if I were to be picky about every single Faunus I've interacted with then I'd be a hypocrite for believing in the fight against racism. Speaking of which, I do apologize for Mercy's words and actions. Being a woman of colour growing up in a predominantly white area of society here in Vale, she went along with the status quo of following the Faunus discrimination acts."

"Mercy was under scrutiny?" The two Faunus asked as they looked to the driver.

"She has been. Being black and a girl on top of that, once she became aware of how the world worked, she chose the path of least resistance to fit in." Martha gritted her teeth. "She has no excuse for her actions though. She should know better than to judge others, especially Faunus. To avoid being discriminated against in order to avoid discrimination herself, it's disgusting the lengths people in this world would go to just to be another part of the crowd."

"The peace this world went through eighty years of war for makes me wonder just what sort of peace we truly have." Byron commented.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Martha nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Lora and Michael looked at their client in awe. Ozpin, Kiran and Byron were three among a very few number of humans they were willing to trust, let alone interact with. To see this woman get angry for their sakes was quite a sight, and it a brought a smile to their faces.

"Thank you...for caring." Michael gave her a fanged grin. "It really means a lot to see and hear that there are people out there who are a part of the anti-discrimination acts of the Faunus."

Martha adjusted her glasses and nodded. "Of course, and I have every reason to support it. After all, one of my closest colleagues is a Faunus. Though, given that you boys brandish Asimov's creations as your weapons, I'm quite sure you know him well enough."

The brothers each raised a black eyebrow in confusion.

"He bears no sigil or symbol to mark his work like most prideful inventors, but I've been around that crazy wolf long enough to recognize his work."

"How do you know Arthur?" The brothers asked.

"There isn't a member of the four kingdoms within the scientific community that doesn't know that boy's name. When he showed up at the United Kingdoms' Research and Development convention a few years ago he was still a student at Beacon, but I was very impressed with his work on the usage of electrical currents being administered into weapons to generate high frequency oscillation to improve cutting capabilities. Also he was the one who promoted the initial idea to send out robotic soldiers instead of real ones onto the battlefield to reduce loss of life."

"Ah, yes." Lora recalled with bright eyes. "I heard he designed and created the Atlesian Knight-130 drones himself. The Atlesian military then bought the designs from him."

"Oh he was far more academically gifted. It was a shame that the boy was studying to be a huntsman." Martha's brown eyes gained a light of nostalgia in them.

"You were close." Michael deduced.

"I wanted him as my apprentice, and I'm convinced he made a mistake choosing the path he is on now, but he is a wolf. Stubbornness is in his nature I suppose." The blue haired intellectual sighed. "It's a shame he chose the path of violence rather than innovation, but he claimed he wished to be a warrior and a scientist. Very bold for a boy of his age and race."

"Mistakes are sometimes opinionated." Kiran replied. "He has done quite a bit of work and he does not appear to regret it from what I have seen."

"But he is wasting his potential." Martha retorted before gesturing to the vehicle they were in. "Like this van for example. Sending men and woman out into the field was always quite problematic with previous generation armoured transports so as a little pet project, Arthur and I...we decided to find a way to maximize interior space while keeping the size of the vehicle the same. Makes it easier to store the soldiers, weapons..."

"And that." Kiran pointed to the rear end of the car. All eyes turned in the direction the glasses wearing huntsman had been pointing. Resting there was a cuboidal black box with glowing green lines that faded in and out of existence, like a slow heartbeat. On each of the box's faces, there was an IEC 5009- the on/off power symbol- etched into them and which glowed with the same neon green light.

"Shiny Shine." Lora's onyx eyes widened, the raven attributes in her making her want to rise out of her seat and reach out towards the box. Her hands made 'grabby motions', however before she could make a single step, Michael was quick to pull her back down into her seat.

"I'm assuming that is the cargo that we are hired to protect alongside you." Byron's words were more of a statement than a question. Martha nodded in confirmation before leaning forward in her seat, steepling her fingers in front of her face as she propped her arms up on her legs with her her elbows.

"Indeed, and it seems that we have been heavily sidetracked by our racism conversation. It's time we move past that, so...I'm sure Ozpin has told you that your missions details so far have been that this is a guardian mission, correct?" The four nodded their heads.

"Protect you and the package that you are transporting. Any further details are on a need-to-know basis." Byron stated. "So Doctor Blu...is there anything we need to know?"

"Yes." She nodded stiffly. "What is in that box is the finished product after numerous years of study and research for an S-Class classified project that Atlas has been developing for their new non-human infantry initiative. Even though I am recruited by Atlas, I was allowed to remain her in Vale to work and, as your friend here so delicately put it, I hadn't remained in contact with my parents much. A guilty conscience can be a quite a conundrum for a mind such as mine."

"I apologize if I have offended you, Doctor Blu." Kiran replied. The turquoise haired scientist raised a similarly coloured eyebrow as she took note of the emotionless tone of her bespectacled guard, but she chose not to take it on...for now.

"You haven't." She replied. "Anyway, as a precaution, I decided to contact Ozpin to send some of his best and brightest to be the guard detail for transporting this package. We will heading to the airport where both I and the package are to be dropped off in Atlas so as to place the finishing touches on the prototype."

"So in essence, it's pretty much complete?" Lora asked. Blu shrugged her shoulders.

"Pretty much."

"Doctor?" Michael's soft spoken voice met the older woman's ears and she turned to face him. "H-How exactly d-does such a classified project get leaked? I mean, it must be under quite a great deal of security wouldn't it?"

"It would and it is, but there's always someone out there who manages to get their hands on the intel. And I don't exactly trust most of my colleagues as far as I can throw them."

The three huntsmen and one huntress nodded their heads in understanding. In their line of work they had many doctrines which they followed, and regarding the act of trusting another being was to be considered taboo until that trust was earned.

"A wise policy." Byron stated. "Our master taught us that trust was something that must be earned not gained."

"Your master is a wise one."

All discussion soon came to a halt as Michael's ears twitched, his head snapping up and looking towards the rear of the van. All eyes turned to the clan wolf Faunus as his blue ones narrowed and a growl formed within his throat.

"Engines. Small, but powerful. Most likely motorcycles." He informed his teammates and the turquoise haired engineer.

"How many?" Lora asked.

"Two." He replied to his fellow Faunus. The bird Faunus nodded her head before turning to Kiran.

"Up for a little long range double team action like back in the day?" She asked. The brown skinned weapons specialist adjusted his glasses and the lenses suddenly gained a green tint to them. He drew Shiva and Brahma and the twin swords were quick to undergo the transformation from spear to long range shotgun. He cocked the weapon.

"Does that answer your question?" He asked rhetorically.

* * *

Beacon Cliffs, Beacon Academy, Vale  


Ozpin sipped his coffee as he stood beside the green eyed woman that was his vice-principal in all but title. Glynda's eyes narrowed as she watched Jaune make his way through the Emerald Forest through the screens shown on that of her Scroll's.

"Professor Ozpin, I really don't care what those transcripts say, Mr. Arc does not seem fit for this level of combat." Ozpin did not respond as he glanced down at his own Scroll for a moment before closing it shut and pocketing it. The scarf wearing Huntsman merely smirked as he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the blonde professor's disappointed expression as she continued to view Jaune's progression through the forest before sifting through the other images to observe the other students.

A few moments of silence passed between the two powerful Aura users, but after a while, the curiosity which ate away at Glynda's very conscience made her stop what she was doing. She released a sigh of internal defeat before closing her Scroll and turned to the taller man.

"Alright, I'll bite. What is it about those two boys that makes them so special?" Glynda asked. "I've heard of combat geniuses, I've heard of people who have been trained well enough to the point that they are far above those within their age group, but never have you let that act as a way to keep them from moving ahead of their peers or to allow them be granted special treatment. You searched through every single person out of the hundreds of applicants that were among the new students to pick out two of the most exceptional rookies to be placed on a team with those boys. Why are Kiran and Byron Gopaul so special to you?"

The blonde Huntress raised an eyebrow as Ozpin finished his coffee, releasing a sigh before he met her emerald orbs with his light brown ones.

"They are more than just being special to me, Glynda." The grey haired man suddenly gained a look of pride on his face. "I've fought against the Creatures of Grimm for many a year. I've fought alongside many a huntsman and huntress. I've fought alongside Qrow...Taiyang, James, Summer and even you. We were some of the best that our generation had to offer in the fight against those beasts that preyed on the negativity of us humans and the Faunus. I was described as being an exceptional combat prodigy, surpassing my teachers, mastering techniques in less than half the time it took for them to become masters of their respective crafts. Aura, weapons, close combat, I was a master in all of them and then some."

"Are you going to continue to sing praises about yourself or will you finally get to the point, Professor Ozpin?" Glynda asked with an irritated tone.

"I'm getting to it." He replied as he took another sip of coffee, casually ignoring her animosity as he usually did when faced with the situation. "So as I was saying, I fought and I became a master Huntsman. However, after all those missions, after every single one of those battles, I came to the sudden realization that despite my skills that made many a Huntsman and Huntress see me as being a god in human form, something more than a man...I was still just that. A man. Time is cruel and I would still be susceptible to it. I was not one for intimacy and so I lacked any form of relationship...something that I now share in common with those boys as a result of my personality bleeding off onto them when I taught them."

Glynda nearly dropped her Scroll as she looked up at her superior, her eyes wide with shock. "Y-You...You have...Those boys are your...but you always said you were never one for teaching! Even when we applied to Beacon as its staff, before you were chosen to be its headmaster, you always said you never had the patience or the drive to take on a student, let alone two!"

"Like I said, Glynda...time is cruel." He looked down at his hands, clenching his cane somewhat tightly. "I won't live forever. Charles was always one of the best normal people I could ever call a friend, and..."

"Charles? Wait, their last names are Gopaul." Glynda stated as she gained a look of realization. "You trained the boys of one of the most wealthy and influential people in Vale?! I know you have many a connection, Professor Ozpin, but this is ridiculous that you would be so close to the owner of MARUNI Enterprises and Gopaul Lands! They are one of the biggest businesses out there that is capable of supplying lumber, steel and land in the _kingdom_! In fact, they are so wealthy that they are up there with the Schnee Dust Company, and the only reason those companies are above them is because those companies decided to make dealings with Dust as a product! How on earth did you convince Charles Gopaul to let you take his sons as students?!"

"We knew each other as children and went to the same primary school together, though we went our separate ways of course when he had to study to take over his family's business and I went off to being a Huntsman. We were still close after all the years that went by, and to take his children under my wing was my way of repaying him for being such a valued person in my life." Ozpin replied as he looked down at his now empty coffee cup.

The blonde remained silent for a few moments. "...You still haven't answered why you decided to take them on as students."

A pitiful look appeared on the grey haired man's face as he began to draw circles in the grass with his cane. "It was entirely out of my own selfish needs that I took those boys from him despite my saying that I wanted to help them use their Aura. I have come across many a man, woman and child in my days on this planet, but never have I seen more potential in any human or Faunus than when I saw those two boys. Those brown eyes of theirs showed me the future. No one except whom I've worked with are aware of what I've contributed to this kingdom, and to the world, during my days on the battlefield. While it is better no one knows of what I've done...what I've had to do...to achieve the status and power that I have now, I wanted to pass my skills and abilities on to someone else, leave behind something that people can be mesmerized by within the population of the youth...and that is just what I did with those boys. They achieved and exceeded every expectation I had for them, and I am proud to call them my students. They are my pride and joy, and that is why I took them in. To be my legacy."

* * *

Streets, Vale

The two black haired hunters moved to the doors of the van and opened them, the sounds of the rushing wind and the roaring engines meeting their ears. A pair of silver arms of pure aura sprung to life as Kiran called upon his Semblance. One arm wrapped itself securely around the bird Faunus's body while the other arched to grip the roof of the speeding van. With a quick mental command, the pair were swung up into the air where they landed deftly atop the van.

The two scanned the streets and Michael was true to his word as a pair of motorcycles were following behind their transport. Lora's large black eyes focused intently on the shining metal of the two wheeled vehicles, but she began to groan in annoyance as the high velocity winds forced her hair into her face.

"Ugh, I knew should have cut it."

"You did that once already. You were thought to be a lesbian for the most part of that month." Kiran commented.

"You just can't admit that you like me with long hair can you?" The bird Faunus asked with a teasing grin. The glasses wearing huntsman did not respond and chose to activate the zoom function of his scope lenses.

"Four riders, two per motorcycle. All are Faunus."

"What types?"

"One deer, one cat, one fox and one bear. The cat and fox are driving, but the deer and the bear are brandishing weapons. Also, they are members of the White Fang." Kiran said as he caught sight of the uniform of the White Fang adorning their pursuers. Lora rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's the White Fang. You know, it really sucks that it was actually the four of us that ended up making the White Fang into a terrorist organization after we put Adam in his position. Though, I gotta admit, Adam was just as good with his tongue as he was with his fighting skills when our pacifistic protests and rallies weren't working out."

"Please tell me you mean his ability to make speeches and that the tongue thing isn't an innuendo?"

The black eyed Faunus's head snapped in his direction so quickly she probably would have gotten whiplash. A disgusted look found itself on her face as she tried to form words, but she was finding it difficult to do so. "...I'm beginning to understand why they say the quiet ones tend to be really perverted."

Kiran spared the black haired huntress a glare before turning back to the White Fang members. His brown eyes widened slightly when he saw the deer and bear Faunus suddenly adjust the bazooka-like weapons they were carrying. The bear Faunus pulled the trigger on the bazooka and with an explosive release, the missile flew forth through the air.

Screams and other cries of alarm and fear echoed through the air as innocent bystanders quickly ducked into other buildings or simply crouched down low to the ground in an effort to protect themselves.

"Minimize the destruction." Kiran said. "We need to keep the casualties to a minimum."

"I'll keep it at zero." The bird Faunus replied as her onyx orbs shone with determination.

Before the missile could even make it halfway towards the van, Lora bent down and her leg muscles tensed. With a grunt of effort, she pushed off of the van. In one quick motion, she drew the rapier that contained Ice Dust within its chamber and slashed at the oncoming projectile. The tip of the blade touched the missile and a powerful burst of blue frost erupted forth from the rapier. The ice coated the missile before it was captured in the grip of Kiran's aura arm, the other having a secure grip around Lora's body.

Kira manipulated the aura arm and had it throw the frozen missile like he would his spear. Visible streams of air resistance flowed around the missile before it was reduced to shards of ice when the missile from the cat Faunus fired its bazooka's round. A powerful explosion echoed through the city and a black cloud of smoke and embers formed between the two parties.

The bear Faunus had managed to place another missile into its bazooka before firing it, the projectile piercing through the smoke cloud. However, the attack was met with an explosive end as Kiran fired his shotgun. Fire and Wind Dust bullets were fired at the same time before colliding with the explosive round, but this explosion was much more violent as the shockwave that accompanied it was enough to generate a powerful gust of wind that blew everyone's hair back and they could literally feel the heat.

Lora turned to her long range partner with wide eyes, looking between the brown skinned huntsman and his weapon. "Wh-What was that?"

"Fire and Wind Dust combination rounds." He replied as he cocked the gun, the empty shell casings clinking on the roof of the van before the next pair of bullets replaced their predecessors in the chamber. "They are quite effective it seems."

"You're insane, Kiran."

"Says the one who jumped off a moving van to slash a bazooka missile."

"I knew you'd catch me." She shrugged causing her teammate to roll his eyes. Their eyes then widened when they saw the motorcycles suddenly take on a burst of speed. A whirring sound that was mostly drowned out by the roaring engines was heard from the pair of two wheeled vehicles and a small space opened out from just above the front wheels.

Two black, circular devices shot forth from the compartments and looked as if they were about to clatter upon the road. That was revealed to not be the case as the devices suddenly gained an outline of red and they moved across the asphalt at a tremendous speed before a loud CLANG was heard when they reached underneath their van.

"Shit." The huntsman and huntress cursed. Kiran's silver aura sprung to life before the hands of his aura arms dug their claws into the roof of the van. The roof was pried open with ease where Byron, Michael and Martha were looking up at them in surprise. The aura arms dove into the van and ripped the two huntsmen and the scientist out of their seats. Kiran then used his actual arms to scoop up Lora before he leaped off of the van.

Not a moment later did the bottom of the armoured vehicle erupt into flames with a deafening BOOM!

The four-man team and their client were all sent flying through the air as the shockwave from fiery explosion. Luckily, the protective nature of Kiran's aura cloak did its job as the two humans and Faunus were quick to roll with the fall and use the momentum to climb back to their feet. The turquoise haired scientist was rather dizzy from the experience of tumbling through the air though.

They then looked to see that the van was lifted off of its wheels. It went tumbling through the air before making a terrific impact with the road, but the momentum kept it skidding across the road, orange sparks and broken pieces of asphalt flying every which way as it made friction with said road. The armoured van, now a ruined piece of twisted metal and fire, came to an eventual halt.

The motorcycles of the White Fang members were not too far behind and the deer and bear Faunus quickly hopped atop the handlebars of their mechanical mounts. The fox and cat Faunus shifted their positions, bending over a bit so the likelihood of being hit in the head with a boot would decrease when the deer and bear hopped off of the handlebars and lashed out with a strong kick and punch respectively. With the physical strength of the animals they bore traits of serving to amplify their own, the already weakened back doors of the van caved in from the force of the strikes it was dealt. The bear and deer White Fang members grabbed onto the package.

The series of actions were swift and efficient for just as quickly as they had grabbed Martha's prototype they were already climbing back onto the motorcycles.

Martha's brown eyes were wide in shock as she watched the White Fang members vanish into the distance before shifting to the burning wreckage of the armoured van.

"MERCY!" Martha shouted out the name of her driver, but she was quickly held back by Michael as the van was consumed by a cloak of fire as the gas tank ignited. The tower of fire and smoke stretched up into the skies and the screams of civilians were heard once more as they moved to duck and cover.

Martha's brown eyes were wide with shock. She took a few unsteady steps out of Michael's grip before collapsing to her knees, tears falling from her eyes as the feelings of the traumatic incident she just witnessed was quick to catch up with her.

"Y-You saved me! Why didn't you save her?!" She cried as the fires of the armoured van reflected in her irises, as if searing itself into her brain so she would never forget.

"She was not a part of the mission." The four professional hunter-assassins replied. The turquoise haired woman's head snapped in their direction so quickly it seemed as if she would get whiplash.

"H-How can you say that?!" Martha pointed to the burning wreckage. "Mercy was a living person and yet you scrap her and choose not to save her because she was not part of the mission?! Are you even human?!"

Kiran walked up to the scientist and bent down to her level so his mahogany brown eyes would meet her lighter coloured ones. "We are tools and soldiers taught to obey orders to best of our ability. We were told to make you and your prototype our priority."

"Doctor Blu, we truly are sorry for not being able to save her." Michael spoke with a downcast look. "I believe I speak for the entire team when I say we will admit that we do feel guilty for not saving Mercy. However, if we had tried to do so, we would not have escaped the explosion in time and we would all be dead and you would have still lost your invention."

The 35 year old woman could only look at them. She tried to form words, but only an drawn out grunt came from her mouth.

"We are living beings, we make mistakes and we can't save everyone despite the power that we possess." Lora said.

Byron nodded as he walked over and pulled the turquoise haired scientist to her feet. "You can grieve for Mercy later. Now, we need for our plan to begin."

"Plan?" The scientist uttered. "You mean..."

"Guardian missions tend to follow this sort of route." Byron stated. "During the flight to be dropped off at the docks we made the plan to have your invention be taken temporarily so as to be able to trace it back to the base of operations of our pursuers. We made this plan with the assumption that the package would have some sort of tracer attached to it, and even if it didn't, Michael would have been able to track them."

"The tracer tech being present would be preferable." Kiran added his two cents.

"Y-You're insane! You're all so fucking insane! You let Mercy die and my prototype be taken all off of some crazy, half-assed plan?!" Martha exclaimed.

"S-Sorry, Doctor Blu." Michael muttered as his wolf ears flattened against his head. "It was not the b-best of plans, b-but this is actually a maneuver we performed together many years ago and h-h-has proven to be effective."

She looked ready to rip her hair out of her scalp as she was shaking with restrained anger and other sorts of emotions. She gritted her teeth before reaching into her coat and pulling out her Scroll. The holographic screen flickered to life before she tapped it a few times. In a matter of seconds, a map of Vale's roads appeared with a blinking green dot moving rapidly across it.

"Satellite tracker." Kiran raised a black eyebrow. "That's effective."

"Seems they are headin' for the old warehouse base on the east side." Lora observed as she looked over the map. "That's the base the White Fang normally uses for their strategy meetings and used to be the area where the Faunus would stay when it was still a pacifist group."

"It does s-seem a bit odd since that is one of main bases they have." Michael tilted his head in confusion.

"You're familiar with the bases?" Martha asked, raising an eyebrow while her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"We've been active hunters for a number of years." Byron quickly spoke before Lora could even say a single syllable. "We've also had our fair share of run-ins with the White Fang and over that period of time, we've become familiar with the locations of a few of their bases which are spread out over the four kingdoms."

Lora and Michael smiled softly, offering a look of gratitude to the gauntlet using huntsman.

"I see." The turquoise haired woman adjusted her glasses before looking at her four-man guard detail. "So if you know where they're going, the problem remains as to how you are getting there."

The answer to the scientific genius's question came in the form of Byron walking over to a nearby car that was parked a few feet away from the explosion site. With a swift punch, his armoured gloves shattered the glass by the driver's seat area and the alarm went off. The close combat master then continued with his task of vehicular theft by unlocking the doors and then hot-wiring the car.

"Let's go." Kiran said as he shifted his gun back into its dual sword form and sheathed the blades. He led Martha by the arm and placed her in the backseat while he and his brother took the passenger and driver's seat respectively.

"What kind of huntsmen are you?"

"Ones who do what is necessary for the sake of the mission." Byron replied. "We will take you to the airfield where your transport will be waiting for you. You will stay there as my brother and I will head back to the White Fang's warehouse to retrieve the package. Understood?"

"But what about them?" Martha's brown eyes focused on the two Faunus members of the group.

Michael had already stepped in close with an apologetic look on his face. "S-Sorry, Doctor Blu. Lora and I will not be accompanying you as we will be heading to the warehouse. It's better to keep the human element of our mission out of harm's way."

"See you at the airfield, Doc." The black haired bird Faunus gave her client a mock salute before Byron removed the manual brakes and floored the accelerator. The car sped off towards the airfield and the two Faunus vanished in blurs of speed.

* * *

Abandoned White Fang Base, Eastern Sector, Vale 

The motorcycles came to an abrupt halt as they were parked outside the large grey building. The symbol of the White Fang, the image of a red beast's head with three slash markings running through it, was faded considerably but was still displayed proudly on the front of the warehouse. As the vehicles were parked, the bear and deer hopped off of the mechanical mounts.

"Oh bother." The bear Faunus huffed as tried to balance the large box in his arms before turning to his antler bearing comrade. "A little help here, Bambi."

"You used to be a lot stronger than this Pooh." Bambi shook his head with a chuckle before poking Pooh's stomach. "Maybe it has to do with all that honey you've been eating. I know you're a bear Faunus, but come on man."

"I'm still stronger than you." Pooh stuck his tongue out like the mature Faunus that he was. He then gave a grunt in thanks as Bambi gripped one end of the cargo they had procured. "But speaking of honey, I could go for some."

All eyes then turned to the cat Faunus as he suddenly hiccuped. The feline Faunus then raised his hands and made a few hand motions, speaking in sign language. Bambi and Pooh looked confused for a moment before they turned to their canine-esque companion for a translation when said fox Faunus began to chuckle.

"What'd Gideon say, John?" Bambi asked.

"Gideon's right ol' buddy bear." The fox Faunus chuckled, patting Gideon on the head. "You keep eatin' that junk and you're gonna end up being pretty fat ol' buddy bear."

"But John, it's just a small smackerel." Pooh whined.

"Your version of small and my version of small are two very different definitions of small." John replied as he and Gideon opened the doors to the warehouse. The four Faunus looked skyward as the loud whine of a Bullhead's turbines was heard overhead.

"Seems Torchwick is here." Bambi stated, the disdain in his tone being quite paramount.

The grey coloured aircraft settled on the ground and the whine of the engines were beginning to quiet down until they were completely shut off. The ramp of the aircraft opened and the four Faunus watched as the one who asked for the assistance of the White Fang in carrying out their mission to steal Martha Blu's invention exited the air-based vehicle.

Roman Torchwick was a rather tall man who stood at a height of six feet and was of a lean, yet somewhat lanky build. He had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. He wore a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather, and wore black eyeliner.

Torchwick wore a red-lined white suit and a small gray scarf tied neatly around his neck. He had black gloves with with rounded sleeves, a pair of long black pants and black shoes. In his hand was a cane that had the arched portion and part of the shaft coloured a light grey, while the remainder of the shaft was a darker shade. The lower portion of the shaft was a dark shade of red that made a distinct contrast with the rest of the cane, and looked very much like an attachable accessory.

He walked with cockiness that could easily be mistaken for high levels of confidence, his cane making the ramp release hollow sounding clangs with each tap it made against the steel as he exited the aerial vehicle. Torchwick walked past them and turned to the four male Faunus before him, raising an orange eyebrow. "Well come on. Open the door so we can get this transaction over with.

"Hn." The fox Faunus grunted.

Gideon scowled and made a single sign. 'Jackass.'

John and Gideon opened the doors of the warehouse and Pooh and Bambi took their stolen package inside it. They rested the large black and green object in the centre of the room. The four male Faunus, watching with mild fascination as the green lights that decorated it faded in and out of their sight. Torchwick shifted John and Gideon aside with his cane to get to the box before reaching into his pocket and taking out a small circular device that had a glowing piece of Lightning Dust embedded in its centre.

"Open Sesame." Torchwick stated in a sing-song voice as he planted the device atop the box in the centre of the IEC 5900 symbol. Four large pincers came out from the device and dug into the box before a powerful surge of lightning erupted forth from the device that was now revealed to be some form of EMP.

The glowing green lights on the box faded out of existence once more, but this time they did not return.

"Now let's get a look at the good doctor's new aura generator shall we?" Using his cane as a lever, the orange haired criminal pried open the box and the lid clattered on the ground with a clang that echoed throughout the warehouse. As the clang decreased in resonance, the warehouse was revealed to be replaced with a deafening silence as all eyes gazed upon the contents of the box.

Within the rectangular box lay a humanoid robotic object. Its entire body was made of silver metal with lines of green that traced areas of its body like blood vessels. All of the lines stemmed from a glowing green core situated in the centre of the robot's chest. Its eyes, which were previously dark and empty, suddenly sprung to life and shone with an intensity similar to that of the core in its chest. It rose up from its laying position, almost as if it were a mummy being reanimated, and climbed out of the box revealing its height to be 5'5".

The Faunus and Torchwick remained on guard as the robotic organism turned its head and surveyed the area. It titled its head in what seemed to be curiosity. Its optics looked very much like actual eyes, pupils and all, and the whirring of said optics was heard as it focused on the living beings standing before it. It raised its hand and all hands prepared for a battle.

"Salutations." The robot spoke with the voice of an innocent girl. The group of five blinked owlishly and their mouths were agape. Silence reigned supreme within the warehouse once more.

"Y-You talk?" Pooh asked.

"Indeed. Though my primary function is to generate artificial aura via the core in my chest..." The robot tapped the glowing core for emphasis. "...I have also been programmed with numerous other functions, one of which is the ability to speak in every single language known in the world of Remnant, not including ancient languages that have been lost to the ravages of time. My father and Doctor Blu made sure I was capable of many things before my finishing touches were to be present in the labs at Atlas." The robot looked around the warehouse once more. "My geographical awareness application says that I am still within the kingdom of Vale and yet Doctor Blu is not present. Are you perhaps kidnapping me?"

John was the one to answer as his vulpine cunning came to the forefront of his mind. The red haired fox Faunus took off his White Fang issue mask to reveal his amber eyes and offered her a fanged grin. "Of course not, my dear. My name is John and these are my buddies: Gideon, Pooh and Bambi."

The other three Faunus removed their masks at that point as well. Gideon's and Pooh's black eyes were revealed to be filled with child-like curiosity as they continued to stare at the robot before them, much like Bambi's own large, brown eyes. "We're your friends."

Pooh and Bambi gave rather awkward waves of their hands, while Gideon smiled and crossed his fingers which was the symbol for 'friend' in sign language.

"Friends?" The female sounding robot blinked its green eyes. Awkward glances were exchanged between the Faunus while Torchwick absentmindedly tapped his cane on the ground. It was a robot so they were rather unsure as to what its abilities were, so if it was capable of seeing through lies they would be pretty screwed on that front. "...I see. Friends. I am aware of the term as it defines people who are trusting and caring towards one another. I am a robot and so I have no friends. I am very pleased to hear that I have gained friends."

"Yeah whatever." Roman said as he scratched the back of his head. "But, like the little fox said...we're your friends and so why don't be a pal and come with me to board our plane."

The robot tilted its head as its eyes met Roman's own emerald coloured ones. "I am not aware of your identity. John has not introduced you to me as a friend. Are you a friend?"

"I am, ain't that right Johnny boy?" Roman tapped his cane lightly on the fox Faunus's shoulder. The canine Faunus growled, his amber eyes shining in annoyance.

"Business relationship. Now move your cane, human."

"Sharp tongue. Anyway, name's Roman Torchwick. Got it? Great. Let's go little robot girl thing, we're burning daylight and I'd rather get you on that plane now than later."

"Are we going to Atlas?" The robot asked. "My father is in Atlas awaiting my arrival."

"That's great, kid. Now we gotta get goin'. Things to do, places to be, and all that great shit." Torchwick moved behind the feminine robot before pushing it along. "Come on. Out we go."

"My data banks tell me that refreshments are commonplace aboard flight. Will I receive refreshments?"

"You can have a smackerel of honey if you'd like, little robot girl." Pooh spoke as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a clear flask that half-filled with golden honey. "It tastes really good."

"That would be delightful Pooh, but I am afraid that since I am a robot, the ability for me to ingest foodstuffs is something I am not capable of. Thank you for the offer." The robot girl offered the four Faunus a salute. "Goodbye my new friends. I shall hope to see you once more in the future."

However, as the orange haired criminal and his robotic charge were about to head for the door, said door was harshly struck and sent flying through the air.

"Look out friend!" The robot grabbed Torchwick and shoved him aside before grabbing the door as it zoomed straight towards it. Doctor Blu's creation's metal digits dug into the metal of the warehouse door.

"Come with us if you want to live!" All eyes focused on the black haired bird Faunus as she had her hand stretched out to the green eyed robot. Michael turned to his fellow Faunus and his tail swished nervously.

"Ummm Lora, not to be rude b-but...why?"

"I always wanted to say that, and I am right. The symbol on its chest means that that's Doctor Blu's creation and we need to get it back." The robot tilted its head once more in confusion, but before it could ask about the relationship between the two newcomers and its co-creator, Bambi's voice echoed through the warehouse.

"Captain Ravencroft? Captain Bloodmoon? Is that you?" Bambi asked before his brown eyes brightened. "It is you! They said you abandoned the White Fang, but I knew it couldn't be true! It just couldn't!"

Lora and Michael looked over to the antler bearing man and gave him a sad smile.

"Sorry Bambi." Michael said before he vanished from Bambi's field of vision in a burst of speed. The tan skinned Faunus's eyes widened when a powerful force impacted with his stomach. Michael's fist was embedded deeply into his belly and Bambi coughed up a mixture of blood and spittle before his eyes rolled up into his head. Michael then gripped Bambi's head and roughly applied torque to it, the neck snapping audibly and causing many pairs of eyes to widen.

"Damn. I didn't think kids these days had it in 'em." Torchwick muttered to himself.

"BAMBI!" John and Pooh exclaimed. "Captain, why?!"

"The White Fang is not what it used to be. We strove for equality and a degree of freedom for ourselves. We wished for harmony among the humans, but the White Fang's goal is no longer that. Lora and I were part of the White Fang's elite and we've seen the things that Commander Taurus and the others are doing. They are building an army and preparing to wage war, and I don't want to be a part of that. If you stay on the side of the White Fang, then I will not allow for you to lose your lives on the field of battle."

"War?" Pooh's eyes widened.

"You still have a chance to escape before the bloodshed begins, John." Lora spoke this time. "You can take Gideon and Poohi. You can take as many as you can and get out while you still can."

"Why are little brats always getting in the way of my business? First Red, and now these two?" The green eyed cane user sighed in exasperation.

"Torchwick." Lora's feathers ruffled as she and Michael glared at the cane wielder. "Should have guessed you would be a part of this entire scheme."

"A criminal's life for me, my dear." Torchwick bowed dramatically with a tip of his hat. He looked over to the three other White Fang members and pointed his cane at Michael and Lora. "Well don't just stand there like idiots! Get them!"

"Oh bother." Pooh frowned. The heavyweight bear Faunus sighed before shaking his head and solidifying his fighting stance. "Oh how I do wish I could believe you two, captains. But I can't..and not after what you just did to Bambi."

"You're traitors and if you are no longer with us...then we will adhere to the protocol." John growled.

John looked to his feline friend and nodded his head. Gideon bared his fangs and gave the former captains of the White Fang an icy glare. Gideon reached to his sides and pulled out a pair of handguns. He fired a hail of bullets at the newest of Beacon's students, but Lora quickly drew her rapiers from their sheaths.

She swung the rapier that had a chamber of Wind Dust and a powerful burst of pressurized air rushed forth, scattering the bullets every which way and some flew back towards their user. However, a blur of green and grey raced across the warehouse interior before the warehouse door was planted securely in front of the three White Fang members. The blast of wind was effectively nullified as a result.

"Are you okay, friends?" The aura generating robot asked. "Those people over there aren't very nice, so I shall help you in your fight."

The robotic being's emerald orbs shone brighter as it then gripped the warehouse door a bit tighter, ripping it in half in a terrifying show of physical strength.

"Th-This is not good." Michael stuttered.

"No shit." Lora said.

The robot then reared its arms back hurled the rectangular sheets of steel like a pair of shuriken. John drew a pair of Desert Eagles and Pooh held out his hand. A burst of red aura appeared in his massive hands before the energy morphed into the shape of a mini-gun. A storm of lead bullets and energy bullets accompanied the rotating sheets of steel, but Lora quickly stabbed both her blades forward and a burst of ice and wind swirled together to create a miniature blizzard.

Subzero temperatures reduced velocity of John's bullets, causing them to clatter to the ground as they froze over. However, the pieces of the warehouse door were only slowed down marginally, and Pooh's aura bullets were still unhindered. Lora stabbed her ice rapier into the floor and a wall of frozen water erupted out of the ground to act as a shield. The projectile weapons dug deeply into the ice wall and caused a spiderweb of cracks to form, but it held strong.

"Lora, Avalanche maneuver." Michael stated.

"Gotcha." Lora swung her wind rapier several times and sharp blades of wind sliced through the ice to make a small pile of large ice boulders. The boulders were quickly sent skyward as Michael dug his gauntlet's sharp claws into them and hurled them into the air. He leaped after them and with a howl of effort, crashed a powerful series of kicks to each chunk of ice, sending them rocketing towards their group of enemy assailants.

"Knock 'em down, buddy bear!" John exclaimed. Pooh nodded before turning his minigun into a massive battle axe. With a bestial roar, the bear Faunus swung the axe in a wide arc and a crescent of crimson energy met the ice boulders to cause an explosion of ice and energy. The robot decided to capitalize on its opponents' looks of shock and it pushed off from its former location with enough force to crack the ground beneath its feet.

A streak of dust marked its path before it leaped up into the air and performed a front flip to crash an axe kick down onto Michael. The clan wolf Faunus raised his arms to block the strike, but he was still sent rocketing to ground zero. Lora moved quickly and caught her comrade before he could slam into the ground.

"Thanks." The pair of White Fang deserters were given no time to rest though as the blue eyed boy's ears twitched. "MOVE!"

Lora leaped to the left and Michael to the right as the artificial aura creating robot fell as straight as a pin upon their former location. A powerful shockwave formed as the ground cratered from the force of the green eyed robot's landing, sending the two Faunus rolling on the ground.

Lora used the momentum to climb back to her feet, but the green eyed robot was already on the move. It rushed across the warehouse and hopped into the air to deliver a downward punch that made impact with Lora's ice rapier. Ice crawled across the robot's arm, but a burst of emerald aura suddenly bled from the core in its chest and shattered the ice while also augmenting the already immense strength of the robot.

'So...heavy.' Lora gritted her teeth as she felt her feet sink into the ground. The black haired huntress delivered a rising kick and the robot was sent back. However, the robot gripped Lora by her rapier's blade and remained in place. The robot landed solidly on the ground before pulling Lora by the rapier and bringing her closer to its body. The mechanized aura generator spun Lora around and wrapped her in a painfully tight embrace before lifting Lora off of the ground as it bent its body backwards in the beginnings of a suplex.

"GRAAAAH!" Michael sped across the newly formed battleground and before the suplex could be completed, he crashed a strong slash to the new infantry mecha's back. Its grip on Lora loosened and the raven haired Faunus broke free of the grip as she kicked off of its chest to go into a backflip. Michael struck with a powerful roundhouse kick while Lora slashed her wind rapier and a blade of wind struck its body. Being made of dense metal rather than flesh prevented any sort of wound from forming, but it still had the robot rocketing across the ground before it slammed into the far-off wall of the warehouse with enough force to leave an imprint.

"Now let's just keep you there." Lora muttered as she sent a burst of ice and wind at the wall-bound robot. A thick coat of ice covered the robot in a matter of seconds, its mechanics whirring loudly as it pushed itself against its prison. "Now time to deal with-WOAH!"

The two Faunus split up once more as John and Gideon fired bullets at the pair. Pooh then took to the forefront and formed a shield of pure aura in front of him. John and Gideon hid behind him to have cover, but still be able to poke around and fire at their opponents. Gideon then gripped his hand guns a bit tighter and the sound of mechanics shifting was heard as the guns morphed into a pair of tiger claws.

The cat Faunus charged towards Michael with a great deal of speed, but the clan wolf Faunus shifted to the side as the mute cat Faunus slashed at him with his claws. Michael raised his gauntlets and Gideon released a silent cry of pain as the claws made a painful impact with the dense metal. Michael spun to build up momentum as he delivered a strong kick to the side of Gideon's head. Gideon spun from the blow before making a painful impact with the warehouse floor as his canine opponent raised his leg up and performed an axe kick. A quick follow-up stomp the back of the head had the cat Faunus out like a light.

John and Pooh had their mouths agape as they saw their friend defeated so easily.

"TRAITOR!" John roared as he ran towards Michael and fired bullet after bullet at him. Michael remained still, not moving an inch before Lora appeared in front of her fellow Faunus. The bird Faunus swung her wind rapier and a burst of wind sent the bullets off to the side, embedding themselves into a nearby crate. John growled and his Desert Eagles shifted into silver trench knives which he slashed at Lora with.

He went for a slash to the head which she ducked under before pushing up through her knees to go into an upward slash with her wind rapier. John leaned backwards, gritting his teeth as he felt the rush of wind that would have sliced his face if he had been even a centimeter closer to the slash. He went into a backhand spring as Michael swung his gauntlet encased arms and the wicked blade that was attached to the side of the forearm area shot forth, the sound of the clinking chain echoing in the spacious warehouse.

It was deflected however, as Pooh rushed forward with speed that was not expected from one of his size. His aura shield shone brightly as it shifted into a massive mace which he swung down on the ground. A streak of pure aura ripped the ground asunder as it rushed towards the two students of Beacon, striking them with full force and sent them flying through the air.

John switched his trench blades back into the Desert Eagles before firing off two shots. Both bullets hit their mark causing the two airborne Faunus to release grunts of pain as the were struck in their chests.

The members of the White Fang charged across the battlefield and John hopped into the air and delivered a dual front kick, striking both Michael and Lora in the stomach, winding them. The roar of Pooh then echoed throughout the warehouse as he used his impressive speed to catch up to the still airborne traitors and catch them by their throats with his forearms. The lariats caused their eyes to bug out in pain, blood flying forth from their mouths, before they were flying straight through the stone wall of the warehouse.

They rolled across the ground, their eyes wide to take in the view of the clear blue eyes...all while they coughed violently and wheezed heavily as they fought to regain their breath.

Lora was the first to recover as she rolled to the side and avoided the crimson axe blade that Pooh aimed for her head, cracking the ground. However, John was already there to pick up the slack as he slashed at her with his trench knives once more. The bird Faunus effectively parried and dodged all of his strikes before she stepped into his guard and slammed her elbow against the inside of his striking right arm when he aimed to attack her torso with the intent of spearing her through the lungs.

She then stabbed her ice blade through his arm and the fox Faunus released a howl of pain as the biting cold encased his limb. The pain vanished as quickly as it came as Lora, with a look of pity and regret, stabbed her wind rapier through the fox Faunus's left eye. Bright amber eyes that were once full of life became dull as she withdrew her blade from the newly created corpse.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Pooh roared like a wild beast, two mighty axes of energy in his clawed hands. He swung with devastating force with the intent of crushing Lora, but the bird Faunus's onyx eyes was easily able to avoid the wild blows. The ground cratered beneath her feet as she stepped into Pooh's guard before swinging upwards with her wind rapier and a powerful updraft struck the bear Faunus in the chest and lifting him up off of the ground.

"Michael, get him ready in the air."

"HYAH!" Michael unleashed the blades on his gauntlets. The curved golden weapons flew through the air and hit their mark, digging into Pooh's body. Flesh and fascia bled profusely as the bear Faunus was struck in the liver and left kidney and with impressive strength, Michael swung the heavyweight Faunus up into the air. The blades remained stationary, but the momentum of Pooh's body allowed him to move skyward while also slicing through flesh so that a trail of blood followed behind him as he rose higher into the air, free from the grips that the blades had on his bleeding form.

The two Faunus then heard a loud crash and a car was then seen to be hurtling through the air on a collision course with Pooh's body. Just as the vehicle was about to make contact, a small 'ting' was heard when the underside of the car was struck. Dust was ignited, oxygen underwent an explosive chemical reaction and the car was no longer in view as it vanished from view with Pooh's body in a burst of fire and wind.

Pieces of shrapnel and embers rained down upon the ground outside the warehouse. Lora gave a low whistle as she shifted her body to avoid a few pieces of burning car parts.

"Nice shot guys." She commented. "I can't believe that actually worked."

"You should learn never to doubt us, Miss Ravencroft." Byron stated.

The Gopaul brothers strode up towards their Faunus teammates and nodded their heads.

"H-How's Doctor Blu?" Michael asked as he jogged towards them.

"Alive and currently waiting aboard her airship for us to return with her creation which I'm assuming is that robot that Roman Torchwick is in the process of attempting to escape with, correct?" Kiran pointed to the airship that Torchwick had arrived in and all eyes saw the orange haired man trying to move as quickly and quietly as he could.

"Th-That would be it." Michael said sheepishly as his tail wagged slowly and his ears pressed against his head. "Sorry we let him get that far. Having to fight and kill our former comrades is very distracting."

Kiran patted his taller teammate on the shoulder before holding up his long range shotgun and activating the scope function in his glasses. "Then it's time we get it back."

The glasses wearing huntsman fired a paralysis round, Concussion and Lightning Dust causing a small pulse that had both robot and criminal being knocked away from the airship as it landed at their feet.

"Son of a bitch! Why can't you brats ever just let me do my business in peace and without making me waste money on the fucking help?!" Torchwick adjusted his hat before climbing back to his feet. "This is an effort in futility! Robot, attack them while I get away!"

"Of course, friend. I will meet you in the near future." It gave the green eyed man a salute which made him roll them in annoyance.

"Don't count on it." Torchwick muttered before rushing up the ramp into his airship. Kiran fired an explosive round at the airship, but the artificial aura generating robot quickly dug its fingers into the ground and ripped free a piece of rock that had once been the warehouse's wall before Lora and Michael had been slammed through it. It tossed the rock into the air and it shattered into pieces.

The team of four could only watch as the white clad criminal gave them the middle finger before flying off to another part of Vale.

"Well, Torchwick can always be found again. Let's finish the mission and go home." Byron said as he held up his armoured gloves. He flicked his wrists, the black metal plating exited from the first ring to form his gauntlets, and Kiran shifted his gun back into its dual sword form. The brother stood beside their Faunus teammates and stared into the green eyes of their robotic package.

"The body is extremely durable since it took on one of my wind blades without even a scratch and seems pretty well-off despite the fact that I had covered in ice." The bird Faunus informed the Gopaul brothers.

"So...we can go all-out f-f-for a bit." Michael said with a small smile. "Right?"

"Doctor Blu gave permission that in case the package was running rampant, we can take out the body. The body before us is their prototype casing and the real body they plan to use is back in Atlas." Byron said. "We can do without the body, just keep the core intact. Lora, how much Dust do you have left in those chambers?"

"Two ice, one wind." She replied. "We can't do any of our more flashy tactical strikes, so I would recommend assault tactics. Gun Salute would be our best option if I remember our tactics well enough."

"It is Gun Salute." Byron answered.

"Good." Lora smirked, her onyx eyes shining with glee. "Michael, you and Byron will take its attacks. Kiri, you and me are gonna take out its limbs. You know what to do from there. Also, we need the generator intact. No explosive rounds."

"Understood." Was the reply from the three other members.

The moment they said that, the robot's eyes shone brighter than before. With ground breaking force, it pushed off and reared back an arm to go for a punch to Michael's head. The wolf Faunus shifted his head to the side, a powerful wind rushing past him as its fist struck nothing but empty air. The clan wolf Faunus then hopped back when the robot followed up with a palm strike to the chest, but the robotic enemy was relentless as it then spun on its heels to crash a devastating kick to his face.

The wolf Faunus quickly raised his arms to block, but the force of the strike carried through. Time seemed to slow down as the force registered with Michael's body and he was sent flying through the air. The wolf Faunus bounced across the ground, but managed to dig his gauntlet's claws into the dirt, ripping small trenches as friction brought him to a halt. He remained on all-fours before rushing forth like the wolf that he was and aimed a powerful overhead slash. The robot crossed its arms above its head and took a strong stance to form its guard, but Byron suddenly phased into existence behind it and delivered a kick to the back of the knee joint.

Losing its stability, Michael's powerful strike slammed down upon the robot's arms. It was impressive when the robot continued to hold its own despite its faulty stance, but the force still traversed through its body and into the ground, causing it to cave inwards and form a sizeable crater. The robot's aura generator hummed and a pulse of emerald aura flew forth from its body, sending both Byron and Michael back.

Byron flipped to right himself in the air, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop before he took to striking at the enemy's back. The green eyed robot spun around and held up a palm to catch the incoming right jab. Green eyes widened in a rather human-like manner when a loud hum was heard from his ebony gauntlets. The gauntlets crashed against the robot's palm and said palm caved inwards. Caught off-guard by the effectiveness of Byron's strike, the shortest member of the four-man team capitalized on the moment and followed up with a high frequency empowered left jab that dug into the robot's face and broke one of its eyes. Byron bent down and pushed up through his knees to strike with a ferocious upper to the torso, just below the aura generating core was located, and sent the robot skyward.

He leaped after the robot and then delivered a spin kick that sent his mechanized opponent hurtling through the air. It was at that moment that Michael's chain blades wrapped themselves around the robot's body. With a bestial roar, the blue eyed Faunus swung the robot around and slammed it against the wall on the right side of where the warehouse door had been (before he kicked it down) with enough force to crack it. He then spun in the other direction to slam it into the left sided wall with an identical amount of force before hurling the green eyed being at Kiran.

The robot was released from the chains allowing it to use its arms to try and catch the dual blades that the bespectacled huntsman was brandishing, but Lora suddenly emerged from behind Kiran as if she were his shadow and took on a burst of speed. She delivered a strong kick to the point where Byron had struck it, forcing it to cave in even further.

"Gun Salute, now!" Byron ordered.

Lora did as she was told and stabbed her ice rapier into one of the robot's arms. Ice erupted forth and completely covered the metal limb. The same was done to the other robotic limb before Lora turned and latched onto the incoming chain of Michael's gauntlet blades. The wolf Faunus pulled her away from the mechanical enemy and the robot flew back as Lora kicked off of its chest to further aid her escape from close quarters.

The robot managed to recover quickly as it dug its feet into the ground and its artificial aura generator hummed to life once more. Calling upon the emerald energy to enhance its physical prowess, it jumped at the still charging Kiran.

The blade wielding huntsman smirked, a mischievous light shining in his mahogany eyes as his brother sped past him and dropped down to the ground. He spread his legs and his armoured boots slammed against the inside of the robot's arms to divert the ice encased limbs that were aimed to strike at his younger brother. Kiran the hopped lightly into the air, sailing over the nineteen year old before delivering a double downward vertical slash. The hum of the high frequency blades met the ears of all and a dense and powerful metal that was seen as unbreakable at first, was sliced through with ease.

The robot's eyes widened as it saw its ice encased limbs were effectively separated from its body. Kiran then landed on the ground and spun as he dropped his body to get beneath his airborne enemy's body. His HF blades sliced through the legs to send them clattering to the ground.

"Ron, you're up!" He called out to his brother as he hopped out of the way.

"HRAH!" Byron rolled forward and then propped his body up with a single arm and leg when he lashed out with a strong upward kick to nail the robot in the chin, sending skyward. "Lora!"

"Up you go!" Lora followed up with her wind rapier and swung it upward. A powerful updraft formed that sent the mechanized warrior higher into the skies before she turned her onyx eyes to her team's weapons specialist. "Kiran, finish it!"

Kiran went through the motions, shifting his dual blades to dual-bladed spear to shotgun. He cocked the gun and took aim, aiming for the massive dent in the robot's chest that his brother had formed, and that Lora made worse. He pulled the trigger and Concussion and Lightning Dust bullets moved forth from the cartridge, sailing through the air at a rapid pace before crashing into the robot's dented torso. The Concussion Dust generated a devastating amount of force that ripped through the robot's body and left a massive hole where its stomach area would have been, while the Lightning Dust sent a terrific amount of electricity through the robot's body. Yellow voltage cloaked its body for a matter of seconds, but it did its job.

The dismembered body fell back to earth and was caught by Byron before it could make an impact. He was quick in ripping the core out of the broken body's chest and held it tightly in his hands before looking to his teammates.

"Mission accomplished."

* * *

Beacon Academy, Vale 

A great deal of students had arrived with the intent of becoming huntsmen and huntresses, students of the esteemed academy that would bring them glory and honour as warriors who would defend the four kingdoms. Unfortunately for most, that was not the case. From what had seemed to be tens, possibly one hundred students at most, that had entered the Emerald Forest, only twenty-four had emerged victorious and returned to Beacon Cliff practically unscathed. Well over fifty had not even made the cut, failing miserably or had simply given up. The remainder had met their untimely demise at the hands of the Creatures of Grimm that roamed the Emerald Forest. Not even half of those dead had had a body left to recover and return to the families that were now short a child.

But such was the life of the huntsman and huntress. Death was their closest companion and despite the harshness of the test, it was to make them all understand the truth of their situation and their occupation. Those who died were simply not ready for the harsh realities of the world they lived in.

These thoughts ran through Professor Ozpin's head as he watched the crowd of students and the members of the newly crowned first years. His thoughts were rather morbid at the moment, but it was time to set them aside and focus on the celebratory atmosphere that now existed in his school's auditorium.

"Good day students. As you are all aware, the trials of the Emerald Forest were held today for our newcomers. Many braved the unforgiving environment, but only few returned successful and we are gathered here today to celebrate that success. Now it is time to reveal the identities of the teams that make up our new first year students."

Glynda tapped her Scroll and a large screen blinked to life to reveal four empty squares. Those squares were then quickly being filled with the profile pictures of the young men and women and their team names.

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark." Ozpin spoke as he gestured to the screen. The letters which made up their first names were arranged CRDL and their pictures followed suit. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Cardinal. Lead by...Cardin Winchester."

The audience applauded for the new team as they exited off the stage, mostly out of obligation though. Who honestly cared about a new batch of first years?

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie." The four moved from the crowd to go onto the stage and stand before their new official headmaster. The letters and their pictures rearranged themselves on the screen to make JNPR. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Juniper. Lead by...Jaune Arc."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock as he made himself out to be obviously nervous and shocked from the being appointed as leader. He was then humourously slapped to the ground when the monstrously strong Pyrrha 'patted' him on the back to congratulate him.

'Leader? Just what are you planning for that boy, Master?' Kiran thought with narrowed eyes as he watched Jaune being helped back to his feet and led off the stage by his team. He was then snapped out of his thoughts as the silver haired man began to speak once more.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. And Yang Xiao Long." The images and letters rearranged themselves as the four young girls moved to the stage, spelling RWBY. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Ruby. Lead by...Ruby Rose."

The crowd applauded. Yang moved over to hug her baby sister, while Blake gave a small round of applause of her own for the youngest member of their group. Weiss on the otherhand...

"Seems somebody's a little jealous." Lora whispered.

"She's a Schnee." Byron snorted. "What would you expect from someone born in the lap of luxury?"

"Aren't y-y-you and Kiran born in the lap of luxury?" Michael asked before ducking behind Kiran as the older Gopaul brother glared at him. "Sorry."

"You're not wrong to make that comment, Michael. We are pretty well off, but we were taught humility at an early age by our parents. That lesson was enhanced when Master taught us." The weapons specialist answered. "Besides, he's just mad because people keep teasing him about him liking Weiss ever since our mother saw her sing at that party that the SDC had a while back."

"I hate you." Byron deadpanned as he faced his brother.

"I do recall someone not willing to let me fight the Nikos Major by myself out of worry for my well-being."

"And now I know to leave you for dead."

"Don't fight you guys." Lora said as she stepped between the two brothers. "Byron, don't be such a grouch when people tease you. It's out of love. Besides..." She glanced at Weiss and then back to her teammate. "I think you two actually look cute together."

"You try my patience, Ravencroft."

"Love you too." The bird Faunus released a giggle which made the shorter Gopaul's eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

"Byron Gopaul. Kiran Gopaul. Lora Ravencroft. Michael Bloodmoon."

"Oh goodie! We're up!" The crowd went a bit quiet as they saw the four climb to the stage, and a few were bit more vocal as they made hushed whispers. Their eyes gazed upon the two Faunus before them and Michael swished his tail nervously. A quick pat on the shoulder of reassurance from Kiran and Lora served to calm him down somewhat, but due to his enhanced hearing...the murmurs of the crowd were not lost to him.

"The four of you traversed the eastern areas and managed to retrieve the _emerald orb._ " Code for the artificial aura generator. The letters on the screen rearranged themselves alongside their profile images to spell BLMK. "From this day forward you will work together as Team Blackmark. Lead by...Lora Ravencroft."

"Oooooh. I'm leader." The bird Faunus's eyes brightened as she hugged her male teammates closer to her. Michael blushed heavily while the Gopaul brothers rolled their eyes at her. "I'm gonna be the bestest leader you guys will ever have."

"Whatever you say, Ravencroft." The brothers muttered, while Michael remained in his embarrassment induced silence.

The crowd released their applause and Ozpin smiled at the team of four before him, his brown eyes showcasing the pride he felt for his students.

"An excellent job you four. Lora...I trust you will keep them in line?" He asked rhetorically causing the former Black Ops members to glare lightly at their grey haired master. Lora giggled and nodded her head while giving a mock salute.

"You can count on me."

Ozpin nodded to the bird Faunus and watched in amusement as she kept her embrace around them so as to literally drag them off the stage while they fought to free themselves.

'Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year.'

* * *

 **(A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for such a late update with this story, but I've been pretty busy with school and when exams were finished I had to catch up on my anime and tv shows. Also, with the RWBY world being so young and evolving in terms of its lore and world building I was trying to make up ideas to have my story's plot suit it. Yes, this is fanfiction, but the lore and mythos of the world itself needs to be kept to in my opinion. Also, I had a bit of a writer's block regarding making the mission for Team BLMK.**

 **For some of the character inspirations; John and Gideon are based off of the fox and cat who were used in Disney's Pinocchio movie and were who swindled Pinocchio out of his pocket money and had him sold to the puppeteer show. Pooh and Bambi I'm pretty sure you can guess who they are inspired by.**

 **As for Lora being the leader of Team BLMK instead of Byron, here's the reasons. Firstly, when Ruby was made leader instead of Weiss, something that shocked her because she wasn't chosen, and when Jaune was shocked that he was the leader of his team, it made me think that maybe there is the possibility that even though the team names are arranged in such a way that there's a high probability that the first letter of each team will reveal the identity of the team leader, there is also a probability that one of the other three members could be the team leader. Second, Kiran and Byron have been soldiers who followed orders their entire lives. While they can take the role of leaders, and have taken the role sometimes when they were part of the Atlesian Black Ops, the fact remains that they are used to FOLLOWING rather than actually leading a team.**

 **Also, Volume 3 is an amazing volume. The action is amazing and the way the Vytal Festival is structured, it reminds me of the Chunin Exams. Episode 7 was awesome.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter. Remember to review, review, review!)**


	5. Chapter 5:Speaking from Experience

Mistakes

Chapter 5: Speaking from Experience

Headmaster's Office, Beacon Academy, Vale  


Ozpin sat as his desk in silence, sipping his customary cup of coffee while going through his Scroll to look what was on today's agenda. The grey haired huntsman placed his cup down and set aside his Scroll before looking up at the members of Team BLMK.

"So, I received word from Doctor Blu. Apparently due to a little mishap regarding the mission you all performed yesterday, she kindly demands that I never use you four to carry out any mission involving her ever again. Care to inform me as to what this mishap was about?" He asked while raising an eyebrow. The eyes of the boys turned to their leader and the raven haired Faunus glared at them.

"Traitors."

"A leader must take responsibility for the actions carried out by his or her subordinates. That will be one of the first things you will learn in your Team Leadership class, Miss Ravencroft." Lora's head fell at that piece of information. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before her onyx eyes stared into the light brown ones of her headmaster.

"Professor Ozpin, we are regretful that we were unable to save Martha Blu's driver, Mercy. Upon being chased by the White Fang during the trip to the airport, they utilized some form of explosive that was able to hover across the surface of the road and then magnetize itself to the underside of the van we were utilizing. Kiran and I acted as quickly as we could, but in the time it took for us to take out Michael, Byron and Doctor Blu, we would have been caught in the explosion as well if we went on to save Mercy. She was a casualty of the mission. We were all instructed at very early ages, Byron and Kiran by you, and us by the White Fang, that you can't save everyone and you need to make sacrifices. If we tried to save her driver, we would not be here to tell you about it."

"I see." The bespectacled headmaster leaned forward, resting his chin atop his steepled fingers. "Well, there is nothing you can do about that. Crying won't bring back the dead and you completed the mission efficiently and swiftly. Though, regarding the White Fang's involvement...were you able to find any link to Adam Taurus and where we can locate him?"

The four members of Team BLMK suddenly gained a dark look about them. Rage burned in their eyes and their hands clenched into tight fists.

"Unfortunately, headmaster...no." Lora replied. "Believe me, if we ever find anything regarding that manipulative son of a bitch, we will take the first airship out of the academy to hunt him down."

"I understand your anger all too well, Miss Ravencroft, but you must remember that he is still a general in the ranks of the militia group that the White Fang has become ever since that mission you all partook in five years ago. Leading the White Fang and having the power to back it up are two things that Adam Taurus is capable of, so please do remember to make the reports should you ever discover any leads regarding him."

"Of course, Master." Byron and Kiran replied with a bow to their teacher. "Though, our feelings are mutual to Lora's. Taurus used us all and we need to take responsibility for what we've done."

"Of course, boys. Of course."

"Ummm, Professor?" Michael raised his hand and the cane holding headmaster gave a nod of acknowledgement to the clan wolf Faunus. "During the announcement of the newly formed teams, when you announced Team RWBY and called out the name Blake Belladonna...were you aware that she was once a member of the White Fang?"

"She's Adam's little runaway, you know?" Lora piped in.

"I am aware of her affiliation with the White Fang, but given what my sources have told me and what I know from her file, she has been placed under the same circumstances that you and Miss Ravencroft are now under. She ran away, thus the White Fang will undoubtedly mark her as a traitor to the cause. Her closeness to Adam Taurus may also serve as an eventual tool to locating him, but you will need to build a form of trust with her."

"No!" Lora snapped. "That's using her, and that's exactly what Adam did with her! That's what he did with us and that's what he did and is currently doing with everyone in the White Fang! If I'm gonna get information of Adam out of her, it will be under circumstances where it doesn't feel like I'm using her for my own gain!"

"Isn't that a bit contradictory since if we don't want to use her, but we end up using her anyway when we want to get the information on Taurus?" Kiran asked.

"Shut up, smartass!"

"Lora...calm down." Michael spoke softly to her. The bird Faunus looked up at the taller wolf Faunus, her gaze beginning to soften the more she stared into his blue eyes. Lora took a deep inhalation before exhaling slowly to calm herself down.

"Thanks Michael. Sorry for yelling at you, Professor Ozpin."

"It's quite alright, my dear." Ozpin waved his hand in a nonchalant manner before rising up from his chair. He walked around his desk and headed for the door, motioning for Team BLMK to follow after him. The doors opened showing Glynda to have been waiting as patiently as she was when they were called in to meet the headmaster earlier this morning.

"Is everything in order, Professor Ozpin?" Glynda asked.

"I just needed to make sure the boys were acclimating well to the new environment and their new teammates, Glynda. Besides, it would be quite irresponsible of me to make one of our newest first year teams late for their first class of the first day of school." Ozpin's amusement and the glint of mischief in his eyes were made paramount as the four all turned to face him. Their eyes were wide and their mouth agape.

"Headmaster say what now?" Lora asked.

"Ah, yes. Did I forget to mention that you will be attending classes? How forgetful of me." Ozpin chuckled at his newest first years.

"Beacon is one of the finest institutions in the four kingdoms..." She began to go into what had affectionately been deemed her 'lecture mode' by her students and other members of staff, but she was quickly interrupted by the black haired gauntlet user.

"There are only four institutions, Miss Goodwitch. There's not much competition to say that it isn't one of the finest institutions in the four kingdoms." Byron deadpanned. The blonde narrowed her eyes at the shortest of Team BLMK, but continued to speak.

"Even so, the fact that you are able to attend the academy is something that most people could only dream of doing. People literally die for a chance to attend the academy, and it is not something you should take for granted."

"Miss Goodwitch...we aren't t-taking the opportunity for g-granted." Michael stuttered as the fierce green eyes of the telekinetic Semblance holder met his electric blue ones. "B-But we were taught a great deal of things long before we attended this academy."

"From what Professor Ozpin has told me, you four are quite proficient and you are already deemed professionals and masters of your craft. I was also made aware that you two..." She pointed her riding crop in Kiran's face as he was the closest Gopaul brother to her. "...were trained by the headmaster himself, but that does not excuse you from being a member of the student body. You wanted to get into Beacon, so you will attend the classes of Beacon just like every other student."

"But we didn't want..."

"Bup Bup Bup." Glynda waved her riding crop in Kiran's face before he even completed his sentence. "No backtalk."

"But we-"

"No."

"We didn't-"

"Hush."

The Gopaul brothers turned to their former teacher who was watching the scene with even greater amusement. He shrugged his shoulders. "Miss Goodwitch is correct, boys. I know I gave you all a rather extensive education, and you all were taught even more things after we got into the more...practical aspects of your huntsman training, but you do have to maintain a certain level of attendance and it would be very strange for you four to not show up for classes on the day after you were formally recognized as a team among the first years. Also, it would look rather bad for me if people who knew you were my students were to suddenly see that you weren't present."

Kiran and Byron looked at each other with confused expressions before turning back to Ozpin. "Who here knows we are your students besides Miss Goodwitch?"

"You'll find out very soon. I believe your first class is your Grimm Studies class." Ozpin suddenly pulled out three male uniforms and one female uniform out of seemingly nowhere, an act that had the members of Team Blackmark wondering what sorcery the man had just pulled, before handing them out to each of them. "Here are your uniforms, and I would suggest you four hurry and change to get to class. It seems you will just make it if you run...just like your fellow classmates are doing right now." Glynda and Team BLMK looked up, blinking owlishly as they caught sight of the members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR sprinting across from the first year dormitories and across the schoolyard in the direction of wherever their classroom was. "Have fun."

* * *

Lecture Hall 1, Beacon Academy, Vale  


"Ugh, I hate these uniforms." Lora grunted as she pulled a bit at her collar. "So damn stifling."

"Didn't you have to wear that ridiculous face mask when you and Michael were grunts?" Byron asked.

"Those masks were awesome!" The avian Faunus defended her former work attire. "And I never had to wear a tie either."

"I despise ties." Kiran muttered as he flicked the red article of clothing.

"See! Even your brother agrees with me!"

"Since when has that ever been a valid argumentative point?" The older Gopaul brother asked. The raven haired girl's eye twitched, trying to burn holes into her teammate's forehead with her mind. Unfortunately for her, she did not possess such a skill. The members of Team BLMK then entered their classroom, pausing upon entry to survey their new environment.

Lecture Hall 1 was a rather small space in comparison to those seen in academic universities. While the other universities and colleges throughout the kingdom of Vale were made to accommodate a few hundred students, those at Beacon were made to house eighty at the most. Of course, with student numbers being as low as they were, this current batch of first years maxing out at only twenty-four, it served its purpose to also accommodate for members of the student body who were either repeating the year or were simply repeating the course itself, the course currently in question being Grimm Studies.

There were eight rows of lengthy desks, with ten in each row. They were constructed in an arch shape to meld with the curvature of the lecture hall's amphitheatre-like structure. Two sets of stairs hugged the far walls of the room, while two other sets of stairs aided in splitting off the desks to accommodate for how each desk was capable of seating a single team's worth of students. All four sets of stairs led to the large floor of the lecture hall which served to take up the majority of the space.

"I have to admit, the room is rather quaint." Michael commented.

"Quaint as it is, I still hate school." Lora grumbled. "I thought leaving the White Fang would get us out of boring classrooms. Do you have any idea how much time we spent in a room like this to learn how to do our duties?"

"Well yeah, but...it's a lot more spacious than the one Adam used to have us in."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You complain a lot, oh fearless leader." Byron stated sarcastically.

"I can also punch you in the face a lot." The raven feathered Faunus raised her pale skinned fist threateningly, but the taller member of her squad returned the threat with a cocky smirk. "Kiran! Byron's being mean to me!"

"Ron, stop being mean to Lora."

"No."

Kiran turned to Lora and shrugged. "I tried."

"You suck. I hate you both." She sweatdropped as the Gopaul brothers each raised a single eyebrow at her.

"Hey! Kiran!"

The members of Team BLMK turned away from each other and looked down to the lower levels of the classroom. All eyes were focused on the silver eyed ball of energy that was Ruby Rose. Kiran's raised eyebrow for Lora remained in its position as his puzzled expression was directed at the sniper-scythe wielder.

"You know Ruby?" Michael asked.

"Ruby Rose. Fifteen years old. Skipped two years ahead because Master found her interesting after she stopped Roman Torchwick from stealing from the Dust 'Til Dawn shop owned by old man Wok. She has a giant battle scythe that can be converted into a high impact sniper rifle, which I must say is quite an impressive piece of craftsmanship. Yang Xiao Long is her half-sister. Ron and I assume the same father, but different mothers."

"She's an interesting girl, though she is optimistic to a fault." Byron added his own two cents.

"Sit here!" She pointed to the row behind the one where her team was currently situated.

The seventeen year old student of Ozpin turned to his team and the other three merely shrugged their shoulders and gestured for him to lead the way. They made their way down the stairs and took their seats. Ruby bounced excitedly in her seat as she turned around to face her fellow weapons enthusiast as he sat directly behind her.

"You're excited." Kiran stated with a tinge of amusement in his voice.

"Of course I am! I mean, sure, these are merely introductory classes which are normally seen during the first week of school so we might not even learn a lot, but I am sooooo excited! The teachers here must be so unbelievably badass huntsmen and huntresses! I mean, I saw Miss Goodwitch in action yesterday and let me tell you, that was something I will never forget!" Ruby replied.

"Miss Goodwitch? Really?" Michael asked with genuine curiosity. "So you've witnessed her semblance in action?"

"Yeah! She waved that riding crop and then stuff went up and the woosh!" Ruby began to go into a series of overly exaggerated arm motions and sound effects, even going so far as to stand up since she felt as though re-telling the story while sitting down did not do the tale justice.

"I can see what you mean when you say she's interesting." Lora whispered to her bespectacled teammate with a giggle.

"And then you see all the stuff start to swirl around and turn into a giant spear thing! Goodwitch sent it flying at the airship and then it bent to her will when it shattered! Like KSSSH! NEEYOW! KER-SMASH!" The red and black haired girl's exaggerated, heroic movements were accentuated when she hopped atop the desk and her older sister began playing along by gripping her cape's edges to make it billow as if it were caught in a dramatic gust of wind.

"Ker-smash?! I heard Ker-smash! Ker-smash is my faaaaavourite sound effect ever!" All eyes turned to face the beaming visage of one Nora Valkyrie.

The orange haired huntress had her bright green eyes from fixated on Ruby and Kiran, her head shifting quickly between the two of them as she stared at them with an uncomfortably intense gaze. Ruby and Kiran sweatdropped at the hammer wielder, leaning back a bit since Nora's 5'1 frame inched closer and closer towards them. It seemed she had no idea of the definition of personal space.

"Nora, what did I say about bothering people?" The calm, yet mildly stern voice of Nora's partner met the ears of all within earshot. Nora was then picked up by the back of her collar, as if she were a doll that weighed no more than a feather, by the teammate and partner she found in Lie Ren.

Ren stood at a height of 5'9, which towered over Nora's diminutive frame. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail that ended midway at his back. A magenta streak ran through a part of the left side of his hair, which would be really distracting to those whose attentions would stray in classroom settings, though whether or not the streak was brought about by genetics or if it was formed by hair dye was a question that would currently remain unanswered.

Nora frowned as she looked into the disapproving magenta eyes of her childhood friend. "You said not to do it." She replied in a monotonous drone.

"That's right. Now say you're sorry, Nora."

"Sorry, Nora." Nora obeyed dutifully. Ren nodded in approval, patting the huntress on her head. Ruby, Yang, Jaune and Lora had to stifle their laughter, while the other members of Teams BLMK, RWBY and JNPR all just looked at the orange haired huntress with confused looks on their faces.

"Sorry about Nora. As you can tell, she could be a bit of a handful." Jaune chuckled, scratching the back of his head as a part of his nervous tick. "Kiran, I just wanted to say thanks during the first day. I'm pretty sure Ruby and I would have been hopelessly lost without you there to guide us."

Kiran nodded in acknowledgement of the blonde huntsman.

"Well, it's interesting to see that my partner knows people outside of the team." Pyrrha chimed in.

"What would make you think that I wouldn't?" Jaune placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"Blue bunny pajamas." The other eleven hunters within his vicinity all deadpanned. The blue eyed seventeen year old's head fell forward, his ears a burning red from sheer embarrassment.

"I'll have you know, I chose those out of comfort. It's like sleeping in a cloud."

"Don't you mean _on_ a cloud, Jaune?" The Invincible Girl questioned.

"I know what I said!"

Byron raised a questioning eyebrow at Jaune. The boy really quite an oddball. He then felt as if someone was staring at him, finding the feeling to be quite true when he turned to find his eyes meeting the ice blue ones of one Weiss Schnee. His eyebrow remained in its suspended position as he noted the intensity of her gaze.

"Can I help you?" He asked rhetorically. "Or have you finally decided to thank me for saving you from being blown up?"

"As if I'd thank you for something that wasn't required."

"Weiss, come on." Ruby placed a hand on her partner's shoulder, but was quick to remove it when the white haired beauty directed an icy glare at the scythe wielder. "You gotta admit, you're being a bit ridiculous. He did put you out of harm's way, and besides, would you rather have been caught in an explosion of fire and ice...or was it lightning?"

"All of the above." The Gylph Semblance holder grumbled. "Look, that's not what I wanted to discuss." She focused her gaze back on the HF gauntlet user and then spared one for his brother. "From the initiation ceremony yesterday...you both were introduced as having Gopaul as your last name...Do you both have any sort of relation to the Gopaul Lands Hardware business?"

"Oooooh, they sound important." Nora said with a sparkle of childish curiosity in her green eyes. "Are you guys part of super secret government agency that doubles as a super important business?"

"She's half right." Michael whispered absent-mindedly.

"On which half?" Blake asked the wolf Faunus, her hidden cat ears being able to catch his soft voice. Michael's blue eyes widened as he realized he was heard, his social anxiety and introversion coming out at full blast when he realized he was now put on the spot to answer something that could either be information his human teammates did not want to be known or could be labelled as high classified. Both of which were possible since the boys learned early on in their lives about humility so they would not be inclined to throwing around the name of their family like a certain white haired heiress, and the fact that their time in the Atlesian Black Ops was completely confidential and on a need-to-know basis. No one in Vale outside of Ozpin, Lora and himself were aware of their status as former assassins.

"Ummm...uuuuh...well..." He gulped audibly, his ears flattening against his head as he released a very puppy-like whimper. He then released a mental sigh of relief when Yang spoke up to distract the White Fang runaway from the sensitive topic.

"Who are they?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow of her own. "They sound pretty important."

"How could any of you not?" Weiss asked as she turned to face the blonde. "The Gopauls are one of the best businesses in the kingdom. They are quite well known in the business community because despite the fact that they don't deal with sales in Dust, they are still capable of being their finances in the black by selling steel, lumber and other hardware goods, as well as land for housing development."

"Oh yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "I remember the name now! I went there a few times to get the parts I needed to help build my prototypes and the final product for Crescent Rose back when I was in Signal. They have some pretty high quality merchandise."

"I've shopped there as well, but I've mainly gone there because they are one of the few human-run businesses in the kingdom that accept Faunus as both customers and as a respectable labour force...unlike others." Her amber eyes focused on Weiss for that split second, the wielder of Myrtenaster seeming unaffected by the obvious jab at her family business's human-biased employee policy. "Their positive stance on species equality makes them quite popular among those who share that view."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "Well at least someone's not entirely uneducated."

"Hey!" The leader of Team RWBY pouted. "I can't tell if that was an insult or a compliment."

"Well, I'm quite sure our father would be quite happy to hear that you hold the business in such high regard." Kiran said.

"So you _are_ related!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Indeed." Byron nodded his head. "Our great-grandfather founded the business, but our grandfather made it what it is today."

"So...you guys are probably pretty rich then?" Jaune asked.

"About the same net worth as her." The brothers pointed at the SDC heiress.

"So, Weiss, why are you making such a big deal about this?" Yang asked. "Even if they were related to the business, what's that got to do with anything?"

"My father has been trying for years to make a merger or at least have the SDC solidify a partnership with the entire company of MARUNI Enterprises, but he keeps being turned down." The ice queen of RWBY then gained a curious look on her face. "If you don't mind my asking though...with such a large inheritance and business to eventually be passed down to either of you, why become huntsmen?"

"The same could be asked of you." Kiran curtly replied causing the girl to wince. "But we have our reasons. If you want to know something, you are free to ask...but now will not be the best time."

"Why not?" Ruby, Yang and Nora asked. His brown eyes shifted to the other members of Team RWBY, and Team JNPR

Their answer came in the form of Kiran pointing at the side-entrance to the lecture hall. A loud slam echoed throughout the lecture hall and all forms of conversation came to an abrupt halt. Students that had been either been standing, walking around or sitting atop the desks, quickly found themselves planted firmly within their seats and at attention. All eyes focused on the movement of their Grimm Studies lecturer, the sounds of said lecturer's footsteps echoing throughout the room like thunder.

The lecturer was a middle-aged man, possibly in his mid-fifties. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His pants were identical in colour to his suit jacket and were deftly tucked into the olive boots which adorned his feet. Interestingly enough, the boots were similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots. He had gray hair which was well combed in a rather wavy fashion, and a gray mustache. His physique depicted his strength due to having broad shoulders, sizeable arms and strong looking legs. However, with each step he took, his belly shifted, which was an indication of him being slightly overweight.

Now while the majority of the students were focused intently on the teacher before them, Kiran and Byron were trying their very best to mask their horror, but their voices betrayed them when they began to mutter their thoughts aloud.

"Oh dear God." Kiran muttered. "When Master told us that there would be people in Beacon that knew of us being his students, I didn't expect it to be him."

"Out of all the huntsmen in the world...why did it have to be him?" Byron muttered.

Their facial muscles were tense as their lips formed practically straight lines, but their mahogany brown eyes were widened to a large enough degree that if one were to glance at them, they would wonder just what the hell was wrong with the brothers. And that was exactly what Michael and Lora were thinking when their sensitive hearing organs caught wind of the words from the brown skinned boys.

The two Faunus of Team BLMK faced each other before turning to their human teammates with confused expressions on their faces. They simultaneously whispered, "What's wrong?"

The former Atlesian Black Ops members planted their faces in their hands and shook their heads. "Everything."

"Ahem!" The loud clearing of the lecturer's throat brought the two Faunus's attention back to the man before them. "Ladies and gentlemen, I bid you a good morning."

"Uuuuuugh." Byron and Kiran moaned softly into their hands -simultaneously and in the exact same vocal tone too- as the man spoke with his loud and resonating voice.

"You are the newest generation of huntsmen and huntresses who will proceed to graduate from this prestigious academy as warriors who will forever defend our lands from the evil creatures that plague our world, human and Grimm alike. As such, you will require guidance, counseling and training. As you are new students, I am obviously to be your teacher."

"Uuuuuuugh."

"My name is Professor Peter Port and welcome to Grimm Studies 101."

"Uuuuuuuuugh."

"In this class, I will be teaching you anything and everything there is to know about the Creatures of Grimm." Professor Port gestured to the large bulletin boards behind him. Each board had very detailed anatomical drawings of every type of Grimm known to man, and each drawing was very well labelled and annotated. "From the King Taijitu to the Beowolf, I will show you what it takes to kill them and become a master huntsman...or master huntress." He clicked his tongue and gave a rather sly wink in the direction of a few of the female students. A pity that those female students were the members of Team RWBY, with one Yang Xiao Long being in the man's direct line of sight.

The blonde haired close-combat specialist shuddered a bit in disgust, but continued to focus on the lesson.

"Now first we shall start off with the classes of Grimm. The classes of the Creatures of Grimm are four-fold and are classified based on size and the ease at which they are capable of being killed." Port held up four fingers. "From the weakest to the strongest, the classes are C-Class, B-Class, A-Class and S-Class."

"Actually, Professor Port..." Lora raised her hand and all eyes turned to the Bird Faunus. "...these classifications are not, I believe concrete to be the correct term. Grimm can get stronger the more experienced they become in battle."

"Well, Miss..." The rotund lecturer reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a folded-up piece of paper. He glanced through it before nodding in confirmation. "...Ravencroft?"

"Yes, professor."

"That is a very correct statement, my girl. It's very good of you to point that out for your classmates." Port focused on the class in its entirety once more. "Now what you all need to understand is that the Creatures of Grimm and their abilities share a similarity with us humans in the case that they learn and grow stronger from their experiences. Thus, C-Class Grimm, which are the most basic, the lowest within the hierarchy of the Creatures of Grimm, and the ones that most huntsmen and huntresses claim to be the easiest to kill in battle...they are capable of evolving into B-Class Grimm, and so on and so forth. Do not underestimate the Creatures of Grimm, no matter what the textbook tells you, understood?"

The first years all nodded their heads.

"S-S-So the Grimm can be str-stronger than wh-what we faced in the Emerald Forest?" Jaune stuttered.

"Oh...very much so, my boy." The leader of Team JNPR gulped a bit audibly as he recalled the battle against the Nevermore and Deathstalker for their entrance exam. "Now that's enough of that fearful talk. It's time we get into the actual lesson, beginning with the C-Class Grimm. These primarily include your Creeps, Boarbatusks, Beowolves and Ursai. Young and adolescent Grimm are also part of this classification. In addition, depending on the skill and power of a huntsman, not excluding myself..." Port chuckled with a no distinct lack of vanity. "...even the Deathstalker and King Taijitu can be considered C-Class."

Weiss, being the ever diligent student that she was, raised her hand. "So are the Deathstalker and King Taijitu C-Class or B-Class?"

The mustached professor glanced down at the paper that could now obviously be identified as the class register. "Ummm...Miss Schnee?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, well, when I was referring to the skill and power of a hunter making it seem as if those larger sized Grimm were C-Class, it was mainly a description from the perspective of the hunter. Thus, those are actually considered B-Class Grimm alongside the fully grown Nevermore, the Alpha Beowolf, and the Ursa Major." Port answered.

"Thank you, Professor."

'Suck up.' The majority of the class thought as they all spared glances at her.

"Of course, my dear." He nodded before continuing. "Now, C-Class Grimm are ones that you all are capable of handling on your own due to having combat training. B-Class Grimm can be handled by you first years as well, but only when you are amongst your teammates. At a minimum, by the end of this first year and you all graduate to go into your second year classes here at Beacon, is when it is believed that you all can be capable of single-handedly fighting of B-Class Grimm. However..." Port's voice gained quite a serious edge that served to wake up the more drowsy students in the class. "...never under any circumstances, should any team try to handle A-Class Creatures of Grimm. As students, your teams may get lucky enough to defeat one let alone survive an encounter. The A-Class Grimm include very old and battle-hardened B-Class Grimm, for as I mentioned earlier, the Grimm are capable of learning and adapting should they survive any battle with the huntsmen and huntresses of the four kingdoms." He gestured to the board and pointed at the drawing of the Grimm which resembled a demonic, black feathered version of the mythological griffin. "The only known species of Grimm which is naturally born an A-Class is the Griffon. Those are terrors to deal with, and I pray to high heaven that none of you ever come across an S-Class in battle."

"Which Grimm is S-Class, professor?" Ruby asked.

"Well Miss Rose..." He clarified his naming of the silver eyed girl as he looked at the class register for the third time. "...the only known species of S-Class is the Goliath." Professor Port stated as he gestured to the drawing on the board. "They may resemble elephants, but they are far more dangerous and powerful. They stand at a massive height of 200 feet and they are older than the four kingdoms themselves. No modern huntsman or huntress has ever went up against a Goliath, and those that have...they never returned due to falling in battle."

"Woah." Ruby muttered, her eyes wide in both awe and fear of the gargantuan S-Class.

"Woah, indeed." The portly professor nodded in agreement. "We will get into more detail about the Goliath and the other high class Grimm later in the semester, but this is a 101 class. Your foundation must be forged here, so we shall start with one of the more common types of Grimm. The Beowolf." Port began as he gestured to its corresponding drawing on the board behind him. "It is a pack hunter. Its musculature is designed to allow it to be quite agile, and their numbers more than make up for the lack of strength they possess before any of them develop to the level of Alpha. In fact..."

"Here we go." The Gopaul brothers muttered to themselves.

"...there is a actually a story pertaining to my younger days. I was a much stronger, agile, more strapping version of myself in comparison to how I am now."

And it all went downhill from there. The story of Professor Peter Port, huntsmen extraordinaire, was such a lengthy plot that twenty minutes had passed and the man appeared to have no even put a dent into the tale in its entirety.

Team CRDL had all fallen asleep. Jaune was the only one in JNPR who had went into dreamland, but his teammates were quite drowsy. From Team BLMK, Michael was actually quite interested in the story as he was leaning forward and listening quite intently, and the Gopaul brothers had been slinking further and further down into their seats every time Port would turn his eyes in their direction, as if they were trying their very best to remain hidden from his gaze. Their actions were actually the only thing that kept Lora away from sleeping herself as she quite curious as to what would bring about such behaviour in her normally indifferent teammates.

'I wonder why.' She thought. "Ok, seriously, my curiosity is getting to me now. Why are you two being like this?" Michael leaned over a bit from his position next to Lora, his ears twitching in anticipation since he was also curious about the boys' relationship with the story telling teacher.

Byron, who had been sitting next to Lora, gave her a tired sigh. "Back when we were beginning our days in the field, Port was assigned to be our supervisor for a few of our missions for the first...how long was he our captain?"

Kiran tapped his chin in thought. "I believe it was for about...a year? Give or take a few months."

Byron shrugged before continuing his tale. "He was an excellent huntsman, and he did his job well. He showed us a few techniques and showed Kiri the basics on how to use the blunderbuster-axe hybrid weapon he held. but he was just so..."

"Annoyingly exuberant." Kiran piped in before gesturing to the man in question. "He would return to the base and tell highly exaggerated stories like these or even re-tell our missions to the point that they did not even sound like what we went through. Beowolves became Nevermores. Quick and decisive blows became long winded battles that made it seem as if they were something out of an anime or action movie. Not to mention he was loud, especially after his routine celebratory drinks when we successfully completed a mission."

"Peter Port was quite the transition from Master..." Byron frowned deeply. "...and it was horrific."

Lora and Michael looked at the boys with a bit of pity as they shuddered upon dragging up memories they had probably fought to repress. Lora proceeded to offer Byron a comforting pat on the head. The class members were barely handling even ten minutes of the man, but they had to endure an entire year of him. In the field. By themselves. With no escape.

The minutes flowed by excruciatingly slow with Team RWBY now more or less a mimicry of Team JNPR as their fearless leader had been whisked away by the want to sleep and the other three girls were drowsy. However, Weiss fought to remain attentive and remain focused on Professor Port. It was a plan that proved to be quite ineffective as the lesson wasn't really a lesson anymore and Ruby's soft snoring proved to be loud enough to be distracting.

"Wake up." She spoke through gritted teeth causing Ruby to shoot up and pretend to take notes. However, that proved to be a big mistake on the SDC heiress's part. Ruby quickly began to go off on a tangent of her own as she began performing a series of childish antics ranging from doing the 'rubber pencil' visual illusion, to making a rather humourous and greatly exaggerated portrait of Port's...portly body shape. Yang managed to get a peak at the drawing and snickered alongside her sister.

Weiss steadily grew more and more enraged at Ruby as she continued to commit to her tomfoolery. She balanced her stationary to make a rather wobbly tower, made a few amusing facial expressions when Port had his back turned to them upon him now reaching the part where he was fighting the Alpha Beowolf, but the straw that broke the camel's back proved to be when Ruby began to pick her nose.

Disgust and rage fueled the now red-faced huntress and she was about to let the fifteen year old get the greatest tongue lashing of her life, but she was removed from her train of thought when Professor Port brought his story to a rather unexpected end.

"...and that is how I stopped the Alpha Beowolf and saved my village." He spoke jovially, a resounding clap of his hands signalling said end. The clap also served to wake up the sleeping and drowsy members of the classroom. Professor Port glanced down at his watch and released a small laugh. "Well, will you look at the time. The two hours are almost up. Well, before I leave you all, I will allow one last lesson."

Port snapped his fingers and one of the Munchkin robots entered the lecture hall from the side door that Port himself had entered through. The green eyed robot was pushing along a massive steel box until it was on the far left side, from the students' perspectives, of the room. The Munchkin gave a small salute to Port who returned the gesture before exiting the room to go back to whatever other duties it had.

All eyes zeroed in on the box as it rattled. There was a single rectangular space that was barely large enough to fit one's hand, but one would not dare do so anymore once they spied the pair of piercing red eyes that shone in the dark recesses of the metal box.

"A hunter must be strong, intelligent, quick-witted and capable of taking on any challenge that comes there. Who here in this room believes themselves to be the embodiment of these qualities?" He asked. His answer was quickly received in the form of Weiss Schnee as she raised her hand,

"I am, sir." She all but growled out, her Ruby-based rage still paramount.

"Well then, Miss Schnee, if you believe yourself to be ready then you should proceed here to floor and you can..." Professor Port paused in his dialogue as his line of sight suddenly shifted upwards. His eyebrows raised and he released a gasp of surprise. "Well, if I didn't know any better, I would say my eyes are playing tricks on me. Byron and Kiran Gopaul! My brothers in arms! Is that really you?!"

The brothers, who were practically all but completely hidden by their desk, released simultaneous sighs. They rose up from their seats and gave the older huntsman a salute in acknowledgement. "Captain Port."

"Captain?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Captain? You mean Professor Port is a pirate?!" Nora exclaimed. "Pirate Port! Oh! No! Even better! Pirate Professor Port! Or maybe Professor Pirate Port!"

"Nora." Ren sighed. "Be like a sloth."

"Ok, Ren!" Nora proceeded to latch onto Ren like a sloth would a tree branch before lightly touching the tip of his nose with her index finger. "Boop."

"Professor?" Pyrrha spoke with a questioning tone that incited Port to explain the situation.

"Ah, yes. Well, back before I decided to become a full-time teacher, I was tasked with fighting specifically alongside these two. Our first mission, hmm...I believe it was a mission to exterminate that Nevermore nest. How long ago was that?" Port hummed, tapping his chin in thought.

"Seven years ago, Captain." Byron answered.

"Seven years ago?!" Yang exclaimed, her voice reaching above the roar of chaos that the classroom was becoming. "You were fighting the Grimm at twelve years old?!"

"I was ten." Kiran stated.

"Mother of fuck." The buxom blonde's violet eyes were well on their way to becoming as large as her breasts at the rate they were widening.

"Language, Miss Xiao Long." The teacher said with a tone of warning.

"Wait." Blake spoke up for the first time since the class began, turning around to get a better look at the two former Black Ops members. "I'm no stranger to there being children on the battlefield. Wars have been fought in such manners even during modern day skirmishes, and when the Great War was at its peak, no life, human or Faunus, was spared the life of being a soldier. In fact, even we are essentially soldiers when we graduate."

"Your point?" Kiran raised an eyebrow.

"There is none, but I just want to get to the actual question I have on my mind." She looked between the two brothers and their former field captain. "What led to you three even crossing paths? Professor Port, you said you were tasked with working with them. Soldiers receive their orders yes, but the way you worded it, you said you were tasked to fight with them specifically. Why?"

"Well, like I said, I hadn't become a full-time teacher here at Beacon Academy. As a way to get me more inclined to take on the job, our esteemed headmaster, Professor Ozpin, decided it would be in my best interests to fight with the boys. To have somewhat helped in the nurturing of the fighting spirits of these boys was quite a delight and I was could not be more impressed with Professor Ozpin's personal students."

The lecture hall was wrapped in a deafening silence. The brothers closed their eyes and sighed, mentally counting down in their heads.

'Three. Two. One.'

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

'There it is.'

"I call bullshit!" Cardin yelled.

"Language Mister Winchester."

"Fuck that!" The mace wielder exclaimed. "First you say that these two, guys who are no older than us..."

"I'm older than all of you." Byron stated, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"...fought with you and you helped teach them! And now you're saying they're the fucking students of our goddamn headmaster?! I don't believe any of that shit!"

"As much as I can respect the strength of my fellow students, professor, I really do find it hard to believe that our own headmaster would go through the process of teaching students." Pyrrha eloquently spoke.

Jaune shyly raised his hand as he looked around at his fellow first years. "Ummm, not to be _that guy_ , but...why is it so shocking that Professor Ozpin has people he's taught? He's a headmaster, he would have taught lots of people in the time he's been here at Beacon."

"Jaune, you misunderstand the situation." The red haired girl told her partner. "While it is true that Professor Ozpin would have imparted wisdom unto many students in an effort to advise them during their times here at Beacon Academy, what Professor Port is implying is that the headmaster personally taught Byron and Kiran. That they are his tried and true disciples and the legacies of his skills."

"Oh." Was Jaune's intelligent reply.

"Professor Port, there have also been statements issued by Professor Ozpin himself back when he was still an active huntsman that said he would never take on a disciple." Blake added. "To take on _two_ is just unbelievable."

"And not just any two boys, he's taken on the sons of one of my father's biggest business competitors." Weiss said as her eyes focused more intensely on the Gopaul brothers. "How in the world does that even happen?!"

"Master was a family friend of ours." Kiran replied. "He and our father attended the same primary school together before our father went of to study business while Master became a huntsman in-training."

The disbelief on everyone's faces, sines Lora and Michael, could not be more evident.

"Firstly, Mister Winchester, we will have quite the discussion later in my office pertaining to your use of foul language within my classroom...but if it is proof that you require...?" Professor Port looked to the students of Ozpin, raising an expectant eyebrow while gesturing to the metal box which contained the red eyed beast within. The brothers looked to their teammates, the Faunus of BLMK merely shrugging their shoulders.

The black haired boys shook their heads, a frown forming on Port's face as a result.

"We don't need to prove ourselves. We are Master Ozpin's disciples and if others choose to believe otherwise, then that is their choice." Byron said before turning to Weiss. "Now I believe you have a Grimm to face."

Weiss nodded slowly before rising from her seats as the brothers took their own once more. The battle-skirt wearing huntress drew her rapier, the Dust rounds within the chamber in its hilt rotating a bit upon doing so. With Myrtenaster at the ready and a nod of confirmation to her Grimm Studies teacher, Port went towards the metal box and removed the lock. Without warning, the door was sent flying off of its hinges, skidding across the room.

The burning red eyes of the Boarbatusk glowed with rage as it released an angry squeal to signify its newfound freedom. It stamped its hooves before it reared up on its hind legs. And with an angry squeal, it charged towards Weiss with the intent to kill.

* * *

Hallways, Beacon Academy, Vale 

The battle between Weiss and the Boarbatusk lasted only thirty seconds, and due to that, the class had been brought to an effective end. With a reading assignment left for them by Professor Port, the classroom had been emptied out within the minute. Teams JNPR and CRDL had been the first to exit the premises. Team RWBY had been split; Yang wanting to go and vent a bit since watching Weiss's fight gave her a bit of an adrenaline rush, and Blake needing to go and checkout the textbook from the library that Professor Port wanted them to read from.

And thus, the youngest leader and student in the history of Beacon and said leader's partner were left alone in the hallways since Team BLMK was currently stuck at the door due to Professor Port wanting to catch up with his former subordinates.

"Wow, Weiss!" Ruby released a very excited squeal. "That was so awesome how you took down the Boarbatusk! I mean, you were really really good out there, and I think..."

"Shut up." Weiss's voice was cold and unforgiving as she turned to face her leader. The scythe wielder's eyes widened in shock, her mouth slightly agape.

"Wh-What?" She stuttered. "Weiss, what's wrong with you?!"

"I said shut up!" Her ice blue eyes burned with fury directed at her diminutive leader. "And what's wrong with _me_?! There's nothing wrong with me! It's _you_ that's the problem!"

"How am I the problem?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"All throughout the battle, you kept screaming! Telling what to do!"

"I was just giving you some help because I thought you were having some trouble!"

"I wasn't!"

"If you weren't having trouble then you wouldn't have gotten your rapier knocked out of your hand when you grappling with the Boarbatusk!" Ruby yelled with just as much volume. "What's wrong with that?! I'm being a leader! I'm giving you advice!"

"Oh please, don't stroke your ego you little brat." Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You thought you were giving advice, but all that did was actually just serving to distract me!" Weiss shouted. "You've been a nuisance to me from day one!"

"Weiss..." Ruby's voice grew soft and she frowned. Her voice was a little more than whisper as she asked, "Where is this coming from?

"I worked my ass off. I studied hard and earned my place here at Beacon." The heiress clenched her hands into tight fists to personify her restrained rage. "I dreamed, and expected, to be the leader of this team. But lo and behold, the little upstart that is Ruby Rose suddenly appears with seemingly prodigious combat skills and takes that from me."

"Hey! I didn't _ask_ , nor did I _want_ to join Beacon so soon! But when Professor Ozpin came to me with this opportunity, what do you think anyone in my position would do?! Not take it?!" Ruby argued. "And what about all of that talk in the forest? About working together and acting like a team? Where did all that go?"

"I still believe in all of that, but just not..." Weiss took a deep inhalation, tiredly exhaling the next words she spoke. "...not a team led by you."

Ruby opened her mouth, but no words would come out. What does one even say to such a thing?

Weiss sighed and continued to speak her mind. "You've done little to prove the fact that you earned your place in this school, and you've done just as little to prove that you are mature enough because when we were in the Emerald Forest for our entrance exam, you acted like a stubborn child. Professor Port spoke about young hunters who got lucky enough to survive encounters with powerful Grimm, and I don't even know if that was what happened in the forest when we fought the Nevermore. I don't know if you are capable enough, let alone strong enough to be the leader of Team RWBY."

"Hey! I..."

"Ozpin made a mistake." Those four words were like a slap to the face, and Ruby backpedaled as if she had just been struck. Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes, but in a respectable show of will, she did not allow them to fall.

"...You were my partner and I saw you as a friend, Weiss." Ruby's voice cracked as she fought to restrain her emotion. Weiss could not hold her gaze with Ruby and turned away, an act that served to twist the metaphorical knife that she had plunged into Ruby's heart. "You had my back in the Emerald Forest, and when we were fighting the Nevermore...you put faith in me and my plan to take it down. That was the first time in a long time that anyone other than Yang looked at me like that. Looks like Professor Ozpin and I both made mistakes. You're not my friend at all. You're just a cold-hearted bitch."

Weiss's eyes widened, but Ruby had utilized her semblance and with the sound of rushing wind, all that was left of the fifteen year old huntress was a bunch of crimson rose petals that gently wafted to the ground. The silence was practically deafening as the white haired seventeen year old was now left alone with nothing but her thoughts and her emotions.

"Well...that was a thing." The voice of one Lora Ravencroft broke the silence like a rock being thrown at glass. The members of Team BLMK were all standing off to the side at the intersection of the hallways where the argument had taken place.

"S-Sorry. We didn't mean to eavesdrop, but...well it would have been difficult f-for Lora and I since well..." He flapped the furry white ears that rested atop his head. "Plus...you were quite loud."

The heiress scowled. "I don't need insults from _your kind_."

"Sorry." Michael winced as he quickly moved away, ducking behind Byron in fear as his ears flattened against his head and his tail found itself between his legs. The three other members of BLMK quickly took strong steps forward, mild glares all directed at Weiss.

"You don't insult our teammate in front of us." Byron's tone was cold.

"And what do you mean by _'your kind'_?" Lora obsidian orbs shone with rage. "You want to start a fight here, ice queen? Because if you do, you got one and I will guarantee that while you will feel some hard punches in your life, when I'm through with you, you will come to see that there will be no one else in the entire fucking world who will compare to how hard I'll punch you."

"You little feathered bitch..." Weiss reached for Myrtenaster while Lora's feathers ruffled as she reached for her Ice Dust rapier, Haku.

"Enough." Kiran was suddenly in between the two women. Lora scowled, while Weiss was in a state of shock at how fast Kiran appeared in her direct line of sight.

'When did he...'

"Lora, don't start fights with opponents like Weiss. It's beneath you to be an instigator, besides..." He pointed down the hall to their left, a small track of rose petals tracing its length. "...I need you to talk to Ruby. Take Michael with you."

"Why us?"

"You're our team leader. Inspiring your comrades with your words is something leader-like." Lora's obsidian orbs met Kiran's mahogany ones, but the rage within them were quickly lost when she once again faced off with the indifferent expression of her human teammate. She sucked her teeth and turned away from both Weiss and Kiran.

"...Fine. Come on, Michael." She scowled before running off down the hallways, the wolf Faunus dutifully following after her.

"The nerve of her." Weiss stated once the the two Faunus were out sight and earshot. "This is why Faunus are seen as such brutes. How can you stand to have them as teammates?"

"It is because we aren't racist, nor were we placed in a situation to think little of them." Kiran replied. "And even if we were, we've been through too much with those two to let something as little as mere race divide us."

"And that's more than we can say for you." Byron added, his brown eyes narrowing. "Do you really think yourself so superior that you would deserve the rank and title of team leader, and go so far as to place such a strong lack of faith upon your teammate? The teammate you received as your partner during your entrance exam?"

"If you listened to our argument, you would have heard my reasons." Weiss folded her arms over her chest, or a rather noticeable lack thereof.

"Believing yourself to be superior simply because you got into Beacon Academy through the proper means is hardly a way to place yourself on a pedestal." Kiran replied. "You are angry and disappointed, something that many a hunter, and many a person, can understand...but it is a reflection of your own immaturity. Not to mention that you blinded by your own jealousy that you do not see the hypocrisy in your beliefs."

"You see your self as more mature and less of a child than Ruby Rose, but that could not be more untrue than at this very moment." Byron jumped in. "What my brother and I see, and what many who look at you will soon see if you continue down this path...is a girl who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted."

"That's not even remotely true." She huffed. The former assassins merely gave her a deadpan stare in return. The blue eyed huntress-to be seemingly crumbled underneath the gazes of indifference before releasing a sigh of resignation. "Fine, it's partly true. I just think I deserve better than Ruby Rose as a leader."

"And you believe yourself to be fitting of that adjective? Better?" Byron asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I do! And you saw my fighting skills!" The scar-bearing girl placed a hand on her chest. "I put that Boarbatusk down in under a minute. As the students of Ozpin, surely you would agree that that is an exceptional feat."

"For a someone of your skill level, it is indeed quite a feat, Weiss." Kiran admitted. "But if that is to be your argument, then by those standards, that means either my brother or I should have been elected the leader of Team Blackmark."

The rapier wielder released a cry of frustration. "Oh my God! How can you two not understand what I'm going through?! You are the students of Ozpin and if that is the case, then you should be far above exceptional and worthy of the title of leader! Surely when Lora was named leader of your team you felt at frustrated, disappointed and angry! Or at the least, felt a twinge of one of those emotions!"

The former assassins shook their heads.

"We do not doubt our Master." Kiran's tone held a twinge of conviction to it. "We were raised in a manner that while we do posses the skills to lead, and have displayed those skills on numerous accounts...we are not meant to be leaders. That is something you must understand. Even if you believe yourself to be suited to the role, that does not mean that you are meant to be in it. We may be stronger, faster, and better than Lora Ravencroft in combat...but we will never be able to lead Team BLMK the way she can. Just like how no one will be able to lead Team RWBY the way that Ruby Rose can."

"I will admit..." The older Gopaul brother's eyes gained the shine of nostalgia within them as he thought back to his younger days. "...when Kiri and I were growing up, when we were learning to fight in the actual field of battle, because were trained by the man known as 'The Emerald Knight', we saw ourselves as superior to many a soldier when we arrived, but Captain Port...He was loud, annoying, talked too much and, to be blunt, was an all-around pain in the ass, but he was always a splendid captain. You would not expect a man of his personality to be an effective leader, but he proved us wrong."

"You believe our Master to have made a mistake, and we will admit..." Kiran recalled the moment that Ozpin gave his reasons for them to attend their master's school. "...he is flawed despite his exceptional skill in almost everything he does. He has made many a mistake, but in spite of that, for many a year he has never once led my brother and I astray. And when it comes to the placement of team leaders, I do not doubt the choice that is Ruby Rose."

"Besides, it's only been one day." Byron stated with a matter-of-fact tone as he ran a hand through his curly hair. The brothers' usually emotionless facades released chuckles of amusement as Weiss's pale skin tone turned red with embarrassment. "Give her the opportunity to prove you wrong, and I am quite certain she will not fail to meet your expectations."

"...I...I guess I can try to do that." The white haired girl muttered. She released a sigh of defeat. "I guess I should go and apologize to her."

"That you should, Miss Schnee. That you should." The brown skinned boys agreed.

"But before you go off to make up with Ruby, one last tidbit..." Kiran's 5'10 and Byron's 5'6 towered over Weiss, casting a frightening pair of shadows over her.

Weiss looked up at them, gulping audibly. "Oh that gulp was nowhere near loud enough to represent the fear that we will be instilling upon you, Miss Schnee." At that moment, the blue eyed huntress suddenly found herself dropping to her knees when a sudden downward force appeared within the halls. It felt as if the force of gravity had increased ten-fold, and breathing was suddenly becoming quite difficult.

'Wh-What's happening?' She thought, her eyes wide in panic. A sudden rush of visions of her being killed via impalement, neck snapping and many other grotesque manners, flooded her mind. Fear and adrenaline flooded her system as every fibre of her being screamed at her to run as far away and fast as she could from the duo standing before her.

They bent their heads low so that their brown eyes met her ice blue orbs, their gazes so intense it felt as if they were staring into her very soul.

" _Never_ insult our teammates in front of us." The fear they instilled into her seemed to magnify since they were speaking in unison, their gold and silver auras, respectively, outlining their forms like flickering flames to make it seem as if they were demonic in nature. "You do anything like that ever again, and we will prove to you that we are indeed the students of Ozpin."

The boys then took a step back and they vanished from her view as flickers of movement. The shaking heiress no longer felt the pressure being exerted on her body, and she found herself able to breathe properly again. However, the fear instilling images of the two huntsmen were forever burned into her memory.

'Those eyes. They were almost inhuman.' The darkness that brewed within those brown irides were unlike anything she had ever seen before. 'Just what are those two?'

* * *

Rooftop Balcony, Beacon Academy, Vale 

Ruby sniffed and hiccuped as she sat on one of the few benches on the rooftop balcony, her knees held tightly against her body as tears continued to moisten her skirt. A shame too, because they would stain the red of her skirt. It was quite a beautiful view of the cityscape that lay below the academy, but even such an awe-inspiring view being basked in the seemingly otherworldly glow of the setting sun could distract Ruby from her emotional turmoil.

Her head then shot up in surprise when she saw Lora and Michael suddenly sitting on either side of her. "Lora? Michael? Wh-What are you g-guys doing h-here?"

"W-We thought you could use some friends." He replied. The white haired teen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief and shyly handed it to her. Ruby looked at the clan wolf Faunus before taking the handkerchief.

She smiled gently as she wiped her eyes as Michael's tail wagged happily, earning a laugh from the younger girl for his troubles. "Thanks." She said as she handed back the soiled handkerchief. The tail wagging halted and Michael gave a mixture of horrified and disgusted facial expressions at the mucus covered cloth. He quickly took it from her and went to throw it in the nearby bin. Thing was damn useless now.

"So...listen, about Weiss..."

"I was thinking about it." Ruby interrupted Lora before she could any sort of verbal traction. "And I was thinking that she might be right. I mean, I got sent her out of the luck that came with my running into Miss Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin that day. I don't even know the first thing about being a leader, and it's just been...so hard. I want to be a huntress, more than anything else in the world. That is how badly I want to pursue this dream of mine and I jumped at the chance Ozpin gave me, but I never realized just how much I gave up when I chose to here. I left behind my friends in Signal, I left behind the chance to complete my formal training...I don't even know if I will ever have been officially qualified to be able to come to Beacon because of Ozpin's recommendation. Maybe he really did make a mistake."

"...You done?" Lora asked bluntly. The younger girl looked at the raven feathered Faunus, nodding slowly. "Alright, well here's what you need to first get through that fifteen year old brain of yours."

"It's."

"Ow."

"Been."

"Ow."

"Only."

"Ow."

"One."

"Ow."

"Day."

"OW!"

With each of those five words, she emphasized them by poking Ruby harshly in the centre of her forehead. Ruby rubbed the red spot that seemed akin to a bullseye in contrast to her pale skin tone.

"That really hurt." She whined. "And what do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that you can't show people what you really got after only a single day. I mean, sure those with experience can because they actually have things to show, but you're a first year student in her first day of class on her first day of school here at Beacon. Even if the choice of you being leader is to be considered a mistake, and I'm not saying it is, there hasn't been a logically reasonable amount of time to fully make that call."

"P-Personally..." Michael stuttered into the conversation. "...I don't think you being made leader is a mistake. Tr-Trust us. We know a thing or two about people making terrible mistakes."

"You sound like you speak from personal experience." The red and black haired girl said as she looked at the now downcast wolf Faunus.

"We...We do." He replied, his ears flattening against his head as he turned to face his fellow student once more. "And I personally think I hold m-more experience in this department than L-Lora. M-My family, the Bloodmoon clan, is one of the oldest Faunus clans in the world and one of the few that retains the old traditions of the Faunus. My mother and father have six children, myself included, and I am the youngest...the runt of the litter. However, I was deemed a prodigy of combat, better than my three older brothers and two older sisters. B-Because of that...I was placed into the position of holding the expectations of my entire family on my shoulders. I did my best. I fought my hardest. I killed, I slaughtered, I maimed..."

Ruby's eyes widened, mostly in surprise, but the way his pupils constricted, the ways his claws and fangs were bared...it was quite frightening to see up close. "That's...That's terrible."

"I used my claws and teeth, I utilized the clan's fighting methods and used everything I was taught in ways that earned me the praise of many a clan member when I carried out my assigned tasks...but I was never truly given the praise I _wanted_. The praise I wanted to hear from my family." He turned to Ruby and her silver eyes held sympathy for the clan wolf Faunus as a sad smile came to his face, the shine in blue eyes thoroughly dulled. "It was through this that I learned no matter how much effort you put into something...you may not be be blessed with the praise of the ones you truly want to hear those things from nor can you hope to fulfill the expectations they place upon you."

"But...But they...they're your parents. My dad always told me that parents are proud of you, no matter what...because that's just what they do." Ruby said softly.

"Not everyone is like your father, Ruby." The Bloodmoon clan prodigy replied. "But there is a silver lining that I found when I met Lora. She always smiled at me and praised me for my victories, and she became someone whose expectations I always wished to fulfill. Sh-She was the first one whom I could call precious to me." He then blushed a bit when he realized how the context of his words could be shifted. "B-B-But...B_Byron and Ki-Kiran were added to the roster soon after of course. Hehe."

Lora and Ruby giggled at his embarrassed visage, his tail humourously wriggling in the air to further highlight said embarrassment.

"Stupid wolf." Lora muttered as she got up. She moved so she was now standing behind the bench, and Michael, and loosely wrapped her arms around the white haired boy's neck in a makeshift hug. Makeshift because it wasn't really a hug, but it was still some form of an embrace. "You've never let me down before. And I think I'm starting to get what you're trying to tell Ruby."

"You do?" Ruby and Michael asked with confused expressions.

"Yeah." She held the Bloodmoon clan member a bit tighter. "Like Michael said, you're not gonna please them all...but you will eventually find the people that you know you want to please, and the ones whose praise will be seen as above any and all others. For Michael, even thought he may not get the recognition he deserves from his family, he is far more appreciative of the praise he receives from his teammates. For you, while you may not get the praise you want from Weiss, you can earn the recognition you deserve from your other teammates, or maybe just those who you know will be proud of you. You said your dad will always be proud of you no matter what, right?"

"...That's...That's true." Ruby muttered. "But I don't want that. I want people, especially Weiss, to know that I can stand up for myself and be a good teammate, partner and leader. Yang was always protecting me when we were growing up, she was the overprotective big sister...and now Weiss thinks I don't have what it takes to be a part of Team RWBY. I just...I just want to prove it to her and everyone else who thinks less of me that I do have what it takes."

"Then you do just that then. Prove them all wrong and work as hard as you can to earn the praise and recognition of your peers. After all, if you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?" Michael's rhetorical question earned a wide eyed look from the silver eyed girl.

"Wow...that was really deep." Ruby muttered her thoughts out loud, an act which made her blush in embarrassment when she heard Lora and Michael laugh at those words.

Lora smirked, letting go of Michael before planting a hand atop Ruby's head. She ruffled the silver eyed girl's hair affectionately, "Michael and I, we know exactly what it means to have to prove you are good enough to others. We're Faunus and since we are the minority race, we are constantly under discrimination and prejudice. We may have the strength and experience to outclass every single one of you humans, but we need to make it known to the human that we can stand on equal footing within society, to break the boundaries provided by what is considered the social norm. And not to mention that we have a sex discrimination thing since you and I are both girl leaders. You'll have to work a bit harder than me though since you're younger."

Ruby laughed at the lighthearted jab to her age before smiling brightly. Tears of happiness poked at the corners of her eyes, but she dared not let them fall. "Thanks Michael...Lora. This really helped, it really did."

"No problem, kiddo. We may have just met, but you're a good kid and I'm pretty sure after having this much sappy heart-to-heart moments we're labelled as friends." Lora said.

"Mhmm." The wielder of Crescent Rose nodded stiffly as she rose to her feet. She walked towards the edge of the balcony and looked out over the city of Vale below. "And that stuff about the Faunus still being discriminated against, it really made me solidify my convictions to be a huntress. I want to be someone who can change the world one day, and if I become strong enough...maybe I can do something about the way the Faunus are treated."

"Y-You'll what?" Lora and Michael stared with wide eyes at the young girl before them.

"That's right. I'll find a way, and I'll try my absolute best to bring about change for the Faunus...no matter what." Ruby turned around and it was either a great sense of timing or some otherworldly act, but the moment she did, the setting sun's position had reached the point that its glow completely outlined Ruby's small frame to give it an almost surreal characteristic.

'This girl...' Lora chuckled. "Well Miss Rose...I look forward to the day that happens." She then walked up to Ruby spun her around.

SMACK!

"EEP!" Ruby released the high pitched squeak of surprise and pain as the bird Faunus gave her deft smack on the ass to send her in the direction of the hallways.

"Now move off and go make up with that teammate of yours. You're her leader, right? Fix things, it's what leaders do."

"Alright! Alright! I'm going!" Ruby exclaimed, rubbing her now stinging rear end, before she vanished in a blur of speed and a swirl of rose petals. The two Faunus turned to each other and Lora extended her fist, Michael meeting her halfway to perform the fist bump.

"I'm going to be such a badass team leader." The bird Faunus grinned toothily.

"That remains to be seen, Ravencroft."

"Oh shut up, Kiran." Lora stuck her tongue out at the boy's position on the nearby roof. "You know...when you told us that Ruby was an optimist, you never told us just how much she was."

"She is definitely quite the protagonist for her story." Kiran agreed. "And if she keeps it up, she may fulfill that dream of hers."

"She wants to be a hero...and now she wants to fight for true equality in the kingdom, if not the entire world." Byron said before turning to Kiran with a teasing smirk. "She's a nice girl. Mom would definitely approve."

The glasses wearing weapons specialist raised a middle finger to his older brother and laughter erupted forth from his Faunus teammates when he raised the other middle finger for them.

"S-So...how'd it go with Weiss?" Michael asked.

"She's as stubborn as they come, but she'll come around. If not today, then maybe some other day...but it is an eventual outcome that she will accept Ruby as her leader." Byron replied. "That blatant racism of hers on the other hand..."

"You both scared the shit out of her, didn't you?"

The boys turned to looked away from Lora.

"Emotions cloud judgements, and that has been a tried and true fact on the battlefield...but we're not on the battlefield right now." Kiran said, his ears turning a bit red in embarrassment when Lora directed a sly grin at him and his brother.

"S-Stop smiling. It's not like we did it because we wanted to."

"Awwww, you guys are so tsundere it's adorable." Lora then stretched out her arms. "Now come down here so I can hug you both since I love you guys so damn much."

The students of Ozpin remained stationary.

"If you don't come down, then I will jump up to hug you guys. If you run, then I will chase you and I got stamina for days." The brothers sighed is resignation due to how true the bird Faunus's words were. They then hopped down from their perches to land in front of the two Faunus, and allowed the sole female member of their four-man team to embrace them.

"I really do love you guys." The sincerity to her voice was paramount and the former assassins merely remained silent. She then turned and grabbed Michael. "And don't think you're getting out of this love fest either, you stupid wolf! Hugs for all!"

"L-L-Lora...too close." He blushed heavily when Lora's action placed his face rather close to her rather impressive chest. Nothing close to Yang's, but at least she wasn't as flat as Weiss. "T-T-Too close."

"Ravencroft, let go." Kiran grunted as he moved to find a way out of the bird Faunus's surprisingly strong grip.

"NEVER!" She cawed like the raven that was mixed into her DNA. "I AM YOUR LEADER! I COMMAND YOU TO BE HUGGED MY ME! MWAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

 **(A/N: Sorry for the late making of this chapter, but I had a bad case of writer's block and plus this second semester was really quite challenging. People weren't kidding when they told me it's a lot of stuff you have to learn in med school. But good news, finals are done and now I can start on writing again for the next three weeks. Yay! Will be a bit split doing both Dragonslayer and Millennium Wars, but I will most focus on Dragonslayer.**

 **I would have done Dragonslayer first, but I felt more inspired to write for this after re-watching some episodes of RWBY as well as seeing how much my buddy NeoNazo356 had managed to post chapters for his fic, Giant Slayer. It's a pretty good read too for those of who want to read a good M-Rated RWBY fic.  
**

 **Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really think I hit home the points I wanted to get across in terms of the character development of the members of Team BLMK and for Ruby and Weiss. Tell me what you think and I welcome long written reviews since it gets a bit monotonous to constantly read, 'good chapter' and 'update soon' so many times. Review, Review, Review!)**


	6. Chapter 6:To Be a Faunus

Mistakes

Chapter 6: To be a Faunus

Lecture Hall 2, Beacon Academy, Vale  


History 101 was quite possibly one of the few classes that held the complete attention of the entire class, and for the members of Team BLMK who were literal war veterans, the class served as a fun learning experience due to the some of the material they were being introduced to had been updated to cover some battles that they had already been informed about or battles they themselves had participated in. Plus, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck was quite an appealing teacher since his rapid speech and hyperactive disposition forced them to pay attention lest they miss some important piece of information that would come on their academic final.

The good doctor was a rather young man, with messy green hair. He wore a pair of round glasses with lenses that were dreadfully opaque so it hid his eyes from view, but when he turned to the side, those that looked at his eyes found that were actually a sapphire blue. His attire was disheveled: his white shirt partially tucked into his dark-green pants and its collar raised, showing a slack yellow tie, along with mismatched brown and black shoes.

"Now, as you all know, yesterday, we covered the forces which led to the formation of the Great War which was based around the social and cultural ideologies that clashed. In fact, it was these clashing ideologies that led to the form of rebellion by those of a lower social class and caste against those who were in a position of power in which they named their children after colours. From various pronunciations and dialects, the children served as the method of rebellion and they too joined their parents in what became known as the Rainbow Rebellion. Very catchy I might add due to the alliteration that is being utilized." Doctor Oobleck spoke at a pace that was just as quick as his movements as he literally zipped around the lecture hall. His body left behind streaks of colour as he shifted from side of the room to the next, only coming to a halt when stopped at his rather cluttered teaching desk. The open thermos that rested at the edge of the table shook violently, falling off when he collided with the wooden apparatus, but his students were once again witness to the teacher's amazing reflexes as he snatched the thermos out of the air and placed it to his lips. He took a loud and long sip of the beverage inside, most of which many presumed to be coffee due to the steam that rose from it as well as to act as some form of explanation as to why Oobleck seemed to constantly be running at 100 miles per hour.

"We shall move beyond society and culture, but we will return to that at a later date. Today, we shift our focus to the topic of racial discrimination." He took a glance at Lora, Michael and a single rabbit Faunus who was also present in his class. "There are a few members of the class who are members of the Faunus community, so I'm sure you all will appreciate today's lecture. For the rest of you, take note regarding this because it is a result of such a conflict that served to enhance rather than inhibit the racism that the Faunus face in today's society."

"Professor, there are many a battle and many a protest that took place across the four kingdoms, and the world in its entirety from both Faunus sympathizers and the Faunus themselves." Blake stated, tilting her head in confusion. "What exactly will you be focusing on?"

"It's Doctor Oobleck, Miss Belladonna. I did not earn my doctorate just for the sake of having one." The bespectacled huntsman said. "However, you are correct in that there have been many a conflict, both verbal and physical, that took place over many years. What I will focus on today will be the Faunus Rights Revolution. To those of you who are unaware of this battle, while it is not on as large a scale nor did it span across a few generations like the Great War did, the Faunus Rights Revolution was still a very notable conflict that lasted three years. Blood, sweat and tears stained the battleground due to the close-mindedness of the humans. Humanity was quite adamant in an effort to confine the Faunus on an area of Remnant known Menagerie."

Oobleck pointed at the world map that was pinned to the cork board behind him. The map was decorated with lines of red string that were wrapped around pins that had been embedded in various parts of the world map. From across the four kingdoms and beyond, it looked like the wet dream of a conspiracy theorist. All eyes were quick to return to focus on where the green haired academic had been pointing. Menagerie was on the lower right corner of the map, and a great distance away from the massive landmass where the four kingdoms were situated.

"Looks like a fish." Jaune mused. Blake raised an eyebrow at the blonde male, but looking back at the segregated piece of land, he wasn't wrong to make such an observation.

"Now the fact that the land itself was named Menagerie is an act of racism in itself. Can anyone tell me why?"

"The name menagerie is a term which refers to a collection of wild animals in captivity." Pyrrha answered. "This highlights that the humans believed the Faunus to be equal to just animals. An act of segregation is already a great insult to them, but to force them to collect themselves upon a place that served to add salt to the wound..."

"You are most correct, Miss Nikkos." Oobleck tapped his finger on the tip of his nose to highlight her correctness. "And as such, war came about. The Faunus took up arms and the humans gathered their armies which resulted in the conflict. Now can any of the Faunus recall what point of the war was referred to as the turning point?"

All human eyes looked to their Faunus classmates, and Kiran and Byron saw Lora, Michael and the rabbit Faunus had all raised their hands. However, their eyebrows raised in curiosity alongside the Faunus of their team when they caught sight of the amber eyed member of Team RWBY remaining still. Her arm twitched to show that she would have raised it to answer, but she had fought it down and looked down at the desk.

"Hmph. Coward." Lora muttered beneath her breath.

"Miss Scarletina, please do enlighten us." The green haired doctor gestured to the rabbit Faunus. Velvet Scarletina's rabbit ears twitched, but she shyly nodded her head.

"She's like a female, rabbit version of Michael." Kiran commented.

"Good, I wasn't the only one thinking it." The elder Gopaul brother added. The wolf Faunus turned to his human teammates and frowned a bit. Despite his shy disposition, he did have his pride as a wolf Faunus very much intact...though, that swell of pride was quick to be buried as he glanced down at the ground when he met the deadpan gazes from the students of Ozpin.

"The Battle of Fort Castle, Doctor."

"Excellent!" Oobleck exclaimed, making Velvet shrink back from the sudden outburst. "The Battle of Fort Castle is regarded as being the turning point in the Faunus Rights Revolution. This battle took place during the third year of the war in which General Lagune wished to launch a surprise, nocturnal attack upon the Faunus army. However, he failed in that attempt and his army was effectively crippled. Can anyone tell me why this came to be? Anyone?"

The class was silent, and Jaune hid his face from view as if it were something that would prevent him from being seen the lecturer.

"Mr. Arc, a piece of advice to you. Attempting to avoid eye contact or hiding, while it does showcase your lack of knowledge on the subject, it also makes you an easier target for teachers such as myself to point at students such as yourself. Not to mention that you are sitting very closely to me which further places you within my field of vision. So, on that note, what do you believe the answer is?"

"Ummm uh...well...the answer is..." Jaune's eyes shifted around the classroom, looking to the walls and ceiling as if the answer would magically appear on those surfaces. However, while they didn't appear there, he caught sight of Pyrrha in one of the upper rows signalling to him. The redhead gestured to her eyes, using her hands to make circles around them. "Oh! Binoculars!"

The class released a few laughs while Oobleck shook his head in haughty derision. "I'm afraid you are incorrect, Mr. Arc. An 'A' for effort in trying to discern Miss Nikkos's hint to you, and Miss Nikkos I'll give you a 'B' for that act. You would make a terrible charades partner, mind you."

Jaune and Pyrrha both hung their heads in embarrassment and mild shame before Oobleck pointed to Blake as her hand was raised.

"Miss Belladonna?"

"Their eyes." She stated, gesturing to her own amber coloured ones. "The Faunus are well equipped for doing battle in darkness due to some of their animal characteristics granting them night vision, as well as some having features associated with nocturnal creatures such as cats and owls among other things. The general's inexperience was showcased in this battle and resulted in him suffering heavy losses and the Faunus pushing back the humans. They moved with that momentum and in the end, won the revolution."

"Well done, Blake. Well done indeed." The blue eyed man looked to the clan wolf Faunus before him when he saw the teenager raise his arm shakily. "Something to add, Mr. Bloodmoon?"

"Yes, actually." He muttered, his eyes meeting and then shifting away from Oobleck's own. "Th-The thing is that while night vision did play a strong factor in the retaliation of the Battle of Fort Castle, it was actually due to a better form of teamwork on the part of the Faunus. During the Faunus Rights Revolution, the Faunus clans were still rather prominent, and my clan led the vanguard."

"Did they now?" Oobleck sped up the stairs and stopped in the row of the amphitheatre-esque lecture hall that was just beneath the one where Team BLMK sat. "It is quite fascinating to hear tales of history from those who actually fought in the battles. Do continue."

Michael gulped audibly as he felt the anxiety building up in him. "W-Well...I c-can't exactly re-tell it w-w-word for word. M-My grandfather and father both told me the story and I..."

"Not a problem. Try your best to tell it as closely as possible as to what they told you."

"A-A-Alright." He gulped once more, swallowing the lump in his throat. "The Bloodmoon clan specialized in taking down large companies and my great-uncle, grandfather and my father, despite him being just a pup, led the charge. They took out the bowmen first to prevent any sort of long range attack that would stop the owl Faunus who served as the archers for the Faunus forces, ripping their arms off at the shoulders before having arrows taken through the hearts. The cavalry were the next to go as they slashed the horses' throats so that they would bleed out, but not so deep that they would die too quickly. The horses would go into a panic and they knocked their riders off of them, some of them being trampled alongside the spear men. Some of my clansmen even took the horses for their own to launch mounted attacks before they would die from blood loss. The pack's methods were very brutal, but intelligent as they struck around the area of the main forces to employ fear tactics. The human forces would watch as their fellow men and women were dragged into the darkness. The howls of my clansmen, the screams of their fellow soldiers and the sounds of flesh being torn apart brought the fear of the divine into their hearts. Night vision helped, but an army...be it one or one thousand is no match for the wolves of the Bloodmoon clan in their element. They ripped out their throats, dismembered, decapitated and performed many more attacks."

"Oh yeah, baby. Work that violence." Nora's green eyes were wide with fascination and a grin that would make a certain cat from Wonderland proud adorned her face.

"Nora...control yourself." Ren berated his orange haired friend.

"It didn't take long until only the general was left." Michael continued. "The pack surrounded him from all sides. They took his horse from him, breaking its legs and tearing its head off before slowly and violently doing the same to the general. They laid his head on a spike and left the body of him and his soldiers for the Creatures of Grimm to feast upon. The next day, they had the banner men of the Faunus army ride into battle with the head of the general at the forefront and as Blake just said, they used the momentum from that victory to turn the tide of the war and win the revolution."

The silence in the classroom was positively deafening as the eyes of the students were wide in shock, their jaws agape. Even Lora was a bit taken back from the story. Jaune and Weiss were a bit green, disgusted by the imagery their minds produced. The silence was then shattered by a certain redhead on Team CRDL.

"And you guys wonder why you are looked at as if you're monsters." Cardin stated.

Michael's head snapped in the directions of Team CRDL, his blue eyes shining with fury. He bared his fangs and flexed his fingers so his claws were in a position to rip them apart. A guttural growl rose up from the depths of his vocal cords as he was ready to rise from his seat and tear the entirety of Team CRDL a new one.

"Knock it off, Cardin!" Ruby exclaimed. Michael's eyes widened, his blood lust vanishing as he looked at the fifteen year old scythe wielder.

"Yeah!" Yang jumped in. "Leave him alone! You can't bully our friend just because of the stories!"

"If you think his clansmen are bad, I think I'll show you just how badly I can break your legs." Nora cracked her knuckles. The other students were noticeably surprised when they looked to Ren. The black haired boy did not comment upon his childhood friend's words, but the fact that he made no move to try and stop her from attempting to mutilate them spoke volumes of how much he was against the racism currently being displayed by Cardin.

"Wh-What are they...?" Kiran placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder causing the blue eyed Faunus to look at the weapons specialist in shock. "Are they...standing up...for me?"

"Enough!" Oobleck shouted before clearing his throat and giving a nod to the white haired Faunus. "Well Mr. Bloodmoon, I thank you for the insight into the brutality of the revolution. While not many would be able to stomach such a graphic re-telling, I personally enjoy it due to it giving me a better picture as to the battle plans and power of the victors, and it truly shows just how much the textbooks have dampened the level of their loss."

"History is written by the victors, Doctor Oobleck." Lora said. "We may have won the battle...but in the end, the war is never ours."

"Indeed, Miss Ravencroft. That is really such a shame as well." He said as he adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Winchester, this lesson may seem like ancient history to you, but your own words and actions show that the effects of such conflict are very much real in our society. Those of you who are Faunus, being a target of ridicule is a result of your Faunus heritage, and it is a result of this ignorance which breeds violence. The White Fang's militant ways being a very clear example of that."

"You can't be seriously implying that it is _our_ fault for being ridiculed, are you Doctor Oobleck?!" Lora snapped, rising up from her seat.

"I never said it was, Miss Ravencroft."

"But you implied it." The raven feathered Faunus's eyes narrowed, and suddenly the atmosphere of the classroom seemed as if it had dropped by a few degrees. Oobleck remained straight-faced, though it was hard to tell what his eyes were expressing due to his opaque lenses, but Lora's obsidian orbs were blazing with a cold fury that could metaphorically freeze lava. "You talk like a pro-Faunus sympathizer, Doctor Oobleck, and those that recognize that are very grateful, but you cannot say that we have any sort of control over what the majority of humanity has to think about our species. You think that just because we are present in an everyday society, that it suddenly is a cause for violence?"

"That is not what I aimed to say at all, Miss Ravencroft." The green haired man replied. "What I meant to say was that if Faunus are able to recognize what it is exactly that their presence brings within a human society, they could better equip themselves to combat the racism they are faced with. It was not meant to be an insult at all."

"That still does change the fact that what you said is still an act of placing the blame of racism entirely onto our species. Let me inform of something, Doctor." She placed on her chest. "We did not ask to be targets, we didn't ask to be ridiculed and we sure as hell never asked for war. But they push us into corners and force us to fight because if history has taught us anything it's that humans respond only to conflict. You wage wars against us, insult us, belittle us and the day we decide to bite back, you pussy out and suddenly _we're_ the instigators? _We're_ the ones who want war?! Humans..." The bird Faunus shook her head, a hollow laugh echoing throughout the classroom. "...they fight against their own species because of something as stupid as skin colour, religious beliefs and who they associate with, but nooooo! Even when those things happen it's all the goddamn Faunus's fault!"

Silence reigned supreme in the lecture hall as teacher and student held each other's gazes. That silence was effectively shattered as the bell rang to signal the end of class and the beginning of the lunch hour.

"It's a pity, Doctor Oobleck...that for all your intelligence and wisdom, you are still so incredibly stupid." With that, Lora picked up her books and calmly walked up the stairs and out the classroom. The students were quick to exit the room, but the members of Team BLMK and those that had stood up for Michael when Cardin insulted him, they all glanced at their teacher with disappointed looks.

"I honestly thought a colleague of our Master would know to watch his words." Byron stated. Oobleck released a deep sigh as he was soon left alone in silence with nothing but his thoughts and his own shame.

* * *

Cafeteria, Beacon Academy, Vale 

A dark cloud of negative emotion seemed to wrap itself around the bird Faunus. Those who were within the cafeteria seemed to take note of this and gave her an extremely wide berth as they walked past or around her table. Even the other Faunus of the school knew better than to approach the former White Fang member, taking seats of their own as far away as possible from her.

She poked at her filet of fish, her brow furrowed before dropping the fork and planting her face in her hands. "Fuck me."

"As attractive as you are, I'd rather not."

Lora glanced up from her food as she saw her teammates, tray tables of food in hand, sitting down at her table. The members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR were right behind them with their own lunches. The silence at the table was practically deafening, the only sounds being the light scratches of the forks against the metal trays when they moved to eat their food.

The moment of silence was then shattered as Yang looked towards the two Faunus of BLMK. "Alright, I can only handle so much silence for so long. Are we gonna talk about that outburst you had or not?"

"It is still the first week of school and though we have not known each other for no more than a few days, I for one consider you all my friends." Pyrrha smiled gently. "We are all willing to lend an ear."

"Or rip one off!" Nora grinned. Ren moved on instinct as he slapped the orange haired girl upside the head, but it seemed to do nothing to rip the sadistic grin off of his childhood friend's face. "If you want, I mean nobody wants an ear torn off. I could easily do both, but I mean well there's the blood to clean up and not to mention the legal action that could be taken. I mean, you accidentally hit a guy in the face with hammer one time and put him in a coma for three months and suddenly people think you're some sort of crazy girl with mental problems simply because you took a bit too much pleasure in hearing the crack of his jaw and watching his teeth fly out. IT WAS ONE TIME DAMN IT!"

Byron and Kiran were rather indifferent towards the rant that Nora was going on, while Lora and Michael were a bit more responsive as they each raised an eyebrow when the story began to go off on a tangent towards...other topics.

"BUT NOOOOOO! THEY ALL THINK YOU'RE CRAZY SO THEY SEND YOU TO BE TESTED FROM THE QUACK DOCTOR IN MISTRAL WHO THINKS INK BLOTS WILL TEST MY SANITY! WELL GUESS WHAT DOC, I'M FINE! YOUR TESTS PROVED NOTHING! MY MOTHER HAD ME TESTED BEFORE! I! AM NOT! CRAZY!" The orange haired girl breathed heavily as she slammed her fists onto the table, the surface now decorated with the imprints she left behind.

She was then tapped comfortingly on the head by Ren. "Nora."

"Yes, Ren?" The girl did a sudden 180, her rage dissipating as quickly as the ding on an oven timer.

"Be a sloth."

"Oh captain, my captain." She then proceeded to drown the sizeable tower of pancakes she had ordered in syrup. With a noisy lick of her lips, she began to wolf down her food, unaware of the fact that Jaune and Pyrrha had placed quite a wide area of space between themselves and her during her rant.

"And actually...for what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I said to you guys yesterday." Weis said. The other members of Team RWBY looked to the white haired girl with confused looks.

"Weiss...what did you do?" Yang asked.

Weiss fidgeted under the pressuring gazes of her treammates and friends before sighing in exasperation. "I got really upset with Ruby being made team leader and we argued. Team Blackmark saw us, and because of that, Lora and Michael made a few comments. I was still running off the anger and frustration from my argument with Ruby and I maybe...kinda...sorta..." She gulped and lowered her head in shame. "...made a racist statement by referring to them as... _their kind_."

"Woah." Jaune said with a frown of disappointment. "Totally not cool."

"That's cold. Even for you, Ice Queen." Yang quipped.

"I know! That's why I'm apologizing!" Weiss snapped before turning to her blonde teammate. "And don't call me Ice Queen!"

Lora and Michael looked at Weiss with narrowed eyes. "And why should we trust your apology? You could just be guilty rather than genuine about it, and trust me...Michael can smell guilt." The wolf Faunus flared his nostrils to enhance the truth of his female teammate's words.

Weiss winced at their harsh words, but she couldn't blame them. "You don't have to trust it, and I won't expect you to. After everything that happened in Doctor Oobleck's class I can understand why you'd be so quick to not take my words as they are, but I do genuinely apologize for my words." Weiss said before sighing. She glanced away, her ice blue eyes glazing over slightly as she seemed to be looking at something that wasn't even there. "I...I have my reasons for not trusting Faunus, but those Faunus are usually just members of the White Fang." Michael, Lora and Blake had minuscule twitches at that, but they remained silent as they allowed Weiss to continue. "It's just...sometimes I forget that not all Faunus are White Fang, just as how the White Fang isn't something that acts as the representatives for the entirety of the Faunus race."

"We all have our skeletons in ours closets, so I won't ask what it is exactly about the White Fang's operations that makes you imprint your feelings towards them onto the rest of us Faunus, but..." Lora and Michael gave the SDC heiress a stiff nod of approval. "Your words will be recognized, Weiss Schnee, and your apology accepted."

"Also, the s-sentiment is appreciated, Nora." Michael's tail wagged a bit to show his gratitude was genuine. "From all of you...but Doctor Oobleck's words..."

"Oh don't focus on what Oobleck said too much." Yang gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. "I'm sure he didn't mean for his words to be interpreted like that. Right guys?"

"You two really are sisters if your optimism is that high." Lora released a hollow chuckle as she looked at the sisters of Team RWBY.

"Actually Yang, Doctor Oobleck has been known to speak his mind on any subject he discusses. He spoke his mind on the racism that goes on within society, but he placed himself over the boundary line a bit when he said that it is the fault of the Faunus for inciting the stigmas they are faced with." Blake replied with a small frown marring her pretty face.

The bird Faunus shifted her head slightly as she focused her shining obsidian eyes upon the cloak wearing scythe wielder. "It's really funny how that you said you wanted to change the way the world looks at us, yet Michael and I probably didn't help after what happened in class."

"That...remains to be seen." Ruby replied. "But maybe Doctor Oobleck has some sort of point when he said you guys could better equip yourselves to combat the racism. Yang and I, we were raised to accept people for who they are despite creed and race, but since you guys told me that that isn't the case we have in today's world...maybe you could do some stuff to be more human-like, I guess?"

Michael and Lora looked to each other and then to Ruby with looks of pity on their faces. The red and black haired girl raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"She really is far too innocent for her own good." Michael said with a tired sigh.

The former Atlesian Black Ops members shrugged their shoulders. "We told you she was an optimist to a fault." Kiran stated.

"Uuuuuh, guys..." Ruby pointed a pale skinned index finger at her face. "...sitting right here."

"Sorry Ruby, but in all honesty, you really are too uneducated about the world. So, I'm sorry to do this to you, but here's the reality of what the Faunus have done to assimilate into human society." Lora shook her head before pointing to her feathers. "I have seen a great deal of Faunus who have gone so far as to literally cut off what makes them a Faunus. Antlers, tails..." She gestured to Michael before pointing at Velvet. "...ears," Her dialogue came to a sudden halt as she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself, her fingers lightly brushing against her shoulder blades in such a way that only Michael and Byron took note of it. "...Wings."

"Oh my God." Yang gasped.

"That's...That's terrible." Pyrrha commented.

"To go to such lengths such as completely removing what truly makes them Faunus...They shouldn't be forced to go to such lengths." Blake said.

"As if you're one to talk." Michael muttered under his breath as he looked at the black bow that rested atop the cat Faunus's head. "Damned hypocrite." Blake winced at her sensitive hearing caught his words and couldn't help but look down away from the wolf Faunus's piercing blue eyes as they found her amber ones.

"The truly sad part is that these acts of having the parts of them that literally made them a Faunus was they were removed of their own volition simply because they did not want to be discriminated against. To be a part of the world they live in." The raven feathered Faunus spoke.

The bird Faunus would have delved further into her heart wrenching explanation, but she, along with the other members of the lunch table heard a sharp yelp seem to echo across the cafeteria. The cries of pain were accompanied by a few laughs, and all the voices were recognizable by the three teams. Their heads all snapped in the direction that the voices came from and their eyes blazed with fury as they looked upon the scene before them.

"Cut it out! Stop, please!" Velvet cried out as Cardin gripped the rabbit Faunus by her ears and yanked on them harshly. The members of Team CRDL ignored her pleas and continued to laugh.

"I can't believe it." Yang scowled. "Cardin and his teammates are the worst pieces of shit I've ever come across in this school."

"And to think it's only been a few days since we came here, and already he's being such as ass." Blake hissed, her round pupils becoming vertical slits for a split second.

"After everything you said, and everything Oobleck talked about in class..." Ruby frowned as her silver orbs continued to be a witness to the bullying of the brown haired Faunus. "Do you think that maybe Cardin had some trouble with Faunus as well, like Weiss? If we could understand what his problem is, we could probably get him to stop it."

"He could have reasons, but it does not give him the right to abuse and bully them." Kiran said, his brown eyes narrowing dangerously. "It's sickening to the point that even as a human, I sometimes feel I am slowly losing my faith in humanity."

"They're sick." Jaune said with a nod of agreement.

"I can still break his limbs." Ren said nothing against Nora's words as he took a sip of his water.

"To think they take such pleasure in doing such an atrocity." Pyrrha's emerald orbs narrowed dangerously. "If given the opportunity, I'd show them a thing or two about what it means when they say actions have consequences."

"Then why don't you?" Byron asked. All eyes turned to the shorter Gopaul brother, and the high frequency model gauntlet wielder raised an eyebrow in return. "What? Are you saying that won't?"

"But...it's forbidden to instigate conflict on school grounds outside of combat training situations." Pyrrha replied.

"You said you would show them that actions have consequences if given the opportunity, didn't you?" Byron jabbed a thumb in their direction. "This is an opportunity to adhere to your words and show them that it is frowned upon to bully a Faunus."

"But...But Pyrrha could get in trouble." Jaune said. "You can't really be expecting her to risk her education her at Beacon over a few simple words."

"And that's where the problem lies, Jaune." Kiran stated as he adjusted his glasses. "You all spout pretty words and are willing to talk about what you will do amongst yourselves, yet when it is required for you to take action...you stand aside and merely watch."

"I want to kick their asses into the ground as much as you guys, but we can't otherwise we could get suspended!" Yang exclaimed. The members of Team BLMK stared at their juniors in terms of combat experience before rising from their chairs. They walked away from the table, feeling the eyes of their comrades on their backs as they made their way over to Team CRDL and Velvet.

The laughing and jeering were all reduced to nothing when the four boys caught sight of the approaching team of combat veterans. Cardin's eyes narrowed in annoynace at the students of Ozpin before morphing into a look of disgust as his gaze shifted to Lora and Michael.

"What do you want?" He asked with venom on his tongue.

"We would like for you to comply with the request to release Velvet Scarletina from your grip." Byron said.

"And why should we?" Dove asked with a snort before making a motion with his head to Michael. "You gonna sick your pet on us? Have him slaughter us like his clan did to those other guys in the Faunus Revolution?"

"You want to be a bloodthirsty animal like your kin, but I guess that should be expected from a group of beasts."

Michael's pupils constricted and he unleashed a ferocious growl at the red haired leader of Team Cardinal. "I can take the abuse and the insults because I'm used to it, but place such words upon my family and my whole clan and I will show you just how much a beast I can be, human."

The clan wolf Faunus flexed his claws as Cardin reached for his own weapon. "You want to fight? I'll break you like the mutt you are."

"You and your team are instigating conflict, Cardin Winchester." Kiran said. "We are his teammates, but we can only do so much to hold back Michael if you continue to enrage him."

"Indeed." The older Gopaul brother replied. "Now, as we said earlier...remove your grip from the rabbit Faunus's ears please."

The members of Team Cardinal raised their eyebrows at the words used by the students of Ozpin before scowling.

"Yeah, you think that just because you guys are going around saying you're students of Professor Ozpin that suddenly you're above the rest of us?" Sky asked with a snort of amusement. "As if."

"You guys are first years just like the rest of us. What are you going to do, tell on us?" Dove laughed alongside his teammates.

"That is precisely what will happen, Mister Bronzewing." The bespectacled weapons specialist replied as he adjusted his glasses. The light from the outside reflected off of the lenses and seemed to add an air of intimidation to the student of Ozpin. "Even though you continue to see our statement as false, our relationship with Professor Ozpin as master and student gives us quite a bit of sway when it comes to his decision making. If we were to report this sort of behaviour to him he would then be forced to contact your parents and legal guardians, and we wouldn't that?"

"As if simply telling on us will do anything." Dove said with a roll of his eyes.

"Tell that to your ailing grandmother, would you?"

Dove's eyes widened as he looked to the students of Ozpin. "Wh-What did you say?"

"She's in the hospital is she not? Quite a shame that she's suffering from such a terrifying case of heart trouble, and it would do her no good to hear that her beloved grandson, the mighty huntsman-to-be, was taking part in such acts after only a few days of school."

"Y-You wouldn't! This is bullshit!" The green haired teen shouted.

"They're bluffing, Dove." Cardin stated with a growl. He roughly yanked on Scarlet's ears once more, earning a yelp from the brown haired girl. "They got nothin' on us and are making a show of themselves."

"Oh, I would concur with my brother." Byron added, scratching his curly black hair. "Your father is an alumni of Beacon Academy after all, and it would place a great deal of stress of him since you would be dragging your family name through the mud if it were to be spread throughout the school that the newest generation of Winchester men turned out to be a racist and one who would dare to challenge the authority of the 'Great and Powerful Oz'."

The red haired Winchester's eyes blazed with rage and his face turned a brighter shade of red than his hair as blood rushed to it. "You're not serious!" Cardin snapped.

"We could not be more serious." Kiran and Byron leaned forward, their brown eyes seeming to stare into the souls of the members of Team CRDL as all four of the boys before them took an unconscious step backwards. The Team Cardinal members' eyes widened at the actions they simultaneously performed and smirks formed on the faces of the Faunus members of Team BLMK.

"Try them." Lora chuckled, twirling a lock of raven coloured hair around her right index finger. "Believe it when I tell you you do not want to piss them off. Now then, as the leader of Team Blackmark, you have up until the count of three before I give the order for my boys to royally fuck you up unless you let go of Velvet Scarletina. One."

"You don't scare us!" Sky Lark exclaimed as the bird Faunus raised a finger, though the higher pitch of his vocal tone betrayed his bravado. The three males of Team BLMK cracked their joints in preparation, with Michael's fangs and claws gleaming in the light that filtered in from the windows.

"Two."

Gold, silver and crimson enveloped Byron, Kiran and Michael respectively as they called upon their auras. Cardin gritted his teeth while his teammates gulped audibly, and all four of them began to have sweat lining the sides of their faces.

"Grrrr...fine." Cardin scowled. "Let's go." The red haired mace wielder roughly sent Velvet forward and the rabbit Faunus stumbled across the cafeteria floor as her captors turned and left the eating area. The brown haired Faunus was caught by the white haired Faunus, her large eyes widening as the canine-esque boy offered a small smile.

"Y-Y-You okay, Velvet?" The shy boy asked with a small blush on his face. Velvet gulped, forcing aside the animal instincts in her DNA upon coming across a predator-based Faunus, and nodded slowly before being helped to stand up straighter.

"Th-Thank you." The shy girl bowed her head slightly before giving them a small smile. "It...It really means a lot that you helped me out."

"I-I-It's no trouble at all." The wolf Faunus's tail tucked itself between his legs and his ears twitched as his nervous persona became paramount once more. Kiran, Byron and Lora sighed at the blue eyed boy. It was truly amazing how anything outside of basic social interaction could make him as fierce as his wolf heritage made him to be, but was able to revert back to his current persona on the dime.

'But that's Michael Bloodmoon.' They all thought with a mental shrug.

"It really wasn't." Lora grinned as she wrapped her feathered arms around Velvet's shoulders. "I don't think you'll have to worry about those guys for a while, or at all. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd sic my boys on them, so if those assholes bother you again at all, I give the word..." She snapped her fingers. "...and it'd over as quick as that."

"We're not attack dogs, Ravencroft." Kiran deadpanned.

"You keep telling yourself that, my minions." The three boys all looked to each other and then to their part-avian leader as she gave a haughty laugh. The raven haired girl then turned to Velvet. "Now run along now."

"Mhmm." Velvet smiled. "Thank you again."

Team BLMK nodded and when Velvet moved away from them, they all turned around headed back to their table of friends.

"Th-That was incredible." Ruby muttered. "Can you teach us to do that?"

"Intimidation tactic through information and application of status and power is not exactly something you all would be fit for." Kiran replied with the trademark tone of indifference that he and his brother were being recognized for.

"Awww." Nora pouted as she leaned to the side and rested her head on her best friend's shoulder. "I wanted to learn to put soul crushing fear into my enemies."

Ren patted her on the head to console her as the orange haired hammer wielder sniffled comically, crocodile tears streaming down her face.

"How did you get them to do that?" Yang asked. "I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say if it were me, I would have gone in there with fists flying."

"She's not wrong." Weiss and Blake nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean...you guys all seem pretty strong." Jaune said.

"Your auras are also incredibly powerful." Pyrrha complimented them with a tone of awe in her voice. "Were you really planning to fight them?"

"If the opportunity presented itself, yes." Byron replied, causing the red haired huntress-to-be to flush in embarrassment as her own words were used on her.

"However, while we would have come to blows when Lora counted to three, you all are not perfectly bred for combat like we are. As a result, there is something that you need to learn Pyrrha..." Kiran glanced at the members of Team RWBY and JNPR with a serious expression. "...something that all of you need to learn."

"What's that?" Jaune and Ruby asked with confused tilts of their head.

"It is that a problem cannot be solved through violence alone." The students of Ozpin replied simultaneously.

"Well that's probably 'cause you're not using it enough." Yang joked, but her chuckles quickly died down as she realized no one else was laughing. "Sorry, my bad. By the way, Weiss-cream?"

"Please don't call me that."

"Not a chance." Was the immediate reply. "I'm still pretty upset by what you said to Ruby." Yang scowled. "Who do you really think you are trying to down talk my little sister with your superiority complex along with your fat head and supersized ego?"

"I said I was sorry!" The scarred heiress whined. "And Ruby forgave me!"

"I did. Tell them why?" Ruby gestured to her newfound group of friends as they all leaned in towards Weiss.

"Do I have to?" She whined.

"Tell them why or else I will let Yang exact revenge for me." The scythe wielder threatened. Weiss's eyes widened in fear and shock as she looked at the mischievous smile on her blonde teammate's face.

"You wouldn't."

"You'd be surprised what I can be capable of when I choose to be corrupted by the evil within my soul and let it loose." The lilac eyed huntress in-training replied. "And you'd be even more surprised to see what I'm capable of when I do it in the name of my adorable little sister. Now tell them why or else you will face the consequences."

Weiss's eyes suddenly seemed to expand to unrealistic sizes as her bottom lip quivered. Yang snorted while also unleashing a deafeningly loud, "HA!" The voluptuous blonde shook her head while patting Weiss atop her head. "Oh, my dear Weiss-cream...Ruby here practically owns the puppy dog pout."

"It would be literal, but apparently you can't patent a facial expression." The silver eyed weapons enthusiast stated with a pout of disappointment. Yang gestured to the crestfallen leader of Team RWBY.

"See what I mean? And you can't even hold a candle to that, now talk Ice Queen."

The white haired saber wielder sighed in defeat at those words before looking at Ruby with a deadpan expression. "You were willing to forgive me because I admitted that I was being too prideful and let my emotions get the best of me in a situation where I never even gave you a chance to prove yourself. I was selfish and stupid, and I regret every word I said and I swore to be the best teammate you will ever have on this team."

Weiss glanced to Byron and Kiran, a small smile adorning her features when she saw the older Gopaul brother give her a nod of approval. However, the moment of satisfaction was quickly removed as Ruby jammed her elbow against her partner's arm.

"And?"

"Oh come on, Ruby! You can't seriously expect me to say all that other stuff!" Ruby raised an eyebrow and snapped her fingers. Weiss's eyes widened when Yang suddenly blurred out of her seat and appeared behind her, the strong grip of the close-combat specialist now present on her shoulders. Her fiery aura blazed to life and her eyes took on a demonic shade of red that only served to increase her intimidation factor as a toothy grin came upon Yang's face.

"Bones are so easy to break, aren't they?" Yang spoke with a sickeningly sweet voice.

"They actually are." Kiran spoke up. He proceeded to stab his fork into a small pink shrimp while twirling the piece of cutlery so that his parmesan linguini pasta would wrap itself securely around said piece of cutlery. "If one is capable of applying the knowledge of basic anatomy, once the correct amount of force is applied to the structure it is very much doable to break a bone, or even multiple bones, with a single strike."

All eyes gazed upon Kiran as he took the bite of food, chewing it casually before looking up. His older brother sighed tiredly while everyone else just gave him raised eyebrows.

"...It was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?" The bespectacled huntsman asked.

"It was." Ren replied.

"But quite fascinating." Nora's green eyes sparkled with interest. "And I would love to hear more, but first...Weiss, you have a death threat literally hanging off your shoulders. Enlighten us as to what our dear friend Ruby wants you to say that led to your reconciliation."

"...I can't tell anything with you people." Jaune moaned. "Nora can sound smart even though she's an airhead. Kiran can't recognize when things aren't meant to be taken literally. Why do my friends have to be crazy?"

"There There, Jaune." The leader of Team JNPR was given a soft pat on the back by his red haired partner. "But Weiss, I am curious as well. Do continue."

Weiss groaned before glaring at her sniper rifle-scythe wielding leader. The silver eyed fifteen year old's grin could not get any wider, and even if it did, it would have probably split her face.

"And because you are the greatest leader to ever walk the face of the planet." She sighed as she spoke in a deadpan tone.

"And?!" Ruby stressed the word with a little harder nudging of her elbow against the annoyed Weiss's arm.

"And..." Weiss gritted her teeth and paused. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and placed her face in her hands. A flurry of words came out of her mouth, but they were muffled and practically unintelligible causing everyone at the table to look at the ice blue eyed girl in confusion.

"Uuuuh...what?" Jaune asked the question on everyone's minds.

Weiss groaned once more as she raised her face from her hands, speaking noticeably clearer as a result. "...Because we're super special awesome best friends forever."

"That's right! We're S.S.A.B. !" The red hood wearing teenager exclaimed proudly, wrapping an arm around her partner's shoulders. "We're gonna gossip, paint our nails and talk about cute boys all the time!"

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Yes." Ruby replied with her beaming smile still present on her face. "Yes I am."

And on that note, the bell rang to signify the end of the lunch period.

* * *

Combat Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale 

Glynda stood atop the stage, her piercing green eyes focused entirely on her class of first year students. She took great pride in her status as a master huntress and an educator, and so it warmed her heart when she saw the members of every new batch begin to squirm and wriggle in anxiety whenever her eyes stared at them. Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose were especially anxious and it fueled her soul.

'God, I love my job.' She thought with a smirk. The blonde huntress then coughed, clearing her throat in order to get the attention of the other students. Once she saw that she had their attentions, she began to speak.

"As part of your first year cirriculum it is obvious for all of you to be properly trained in the art of combat, hence why we are within the specially prepared combat arena. All combat classes will be under my personal supervision and if any sort of challenge occurs outside of classes it is to be run through the proper channels so that the battle is not to taken beyond the limit of any of the challengers' aura levels." Glynda explained. "As you all are aware, once an individual hunter's aura has been expired, they will end up becoming as vulnerable to damage as a civilian."

"Awwww, but that's when it gets fun." Nora whined in disappointment before a glint of malicious intent shone in her eyes in tandem with the sadistic grin that stretched across her face. "And bloody hehe."

Ren sighed, planting his face in his palms and shaking his head in exasperation as every other member of the first year class looked at the N of JNPR with disturbed expressions on their faces. The other two members of team JNPR shifted away from their orange haired teammate with no form of subtlety whatsoever.

Glynda cleared her throat. "Yes, well...there will be no bloodshed under my supervision, Miss Valkyrie. Now, returning to the rules of my class, during each lesson, two members of the class will be chosen at random to battle one another in a contest of skill, strength and stamina."

"Nice alliteration." Kiran commented.

"Thank you."

"Miss Goodwitch, does that mean that we will possibly fight our own teammates if the competitors are selected at random?" Weiss asked.

"That is correct, Miss Schnee." The blonde huntress replied to the rapier wielding heiress. "In these battles you are allowed to fight as hard as you wish. Semblances and Aura based attacks are all considered fair play."

"But what if we accidentally hit somebody outside of the battle?" Yang asked as she gestured to Amber Celica, cocking the bullet firing gauntlets in the process. "I got long range explosives lined up in Amber Celica and it wouldn't really sit well with me if I...well...accidentally...you know...blow someone up."

"Your concerns are well warranted, Miss Xiao Long, but there is no need to worry as ever since this academy's founding the necessary precautions were taken to ensure the safety of those not battling within the arena." Glynda adjusted her glasses and snapped her fingers. To the amazement of all the students except for Kiran and Byron, the arena's perimeter immediately lit up with what appeared to be symbols of somesort. "Runes were placed to summon a protective barrier known as a Bounded Field that is capable of withstanding a blow equal to that of a ballistic missile's. So unless your weapons or skills are capable of generating more force than an explosive projectile that moves at hypersonic speeds with aid of gravity then your weapons are allowed to be used to their full potential."

Ruby's eyes sparkled in amazement as she looked at the blue, dome-shaped field of defense that flickered into existence for a brief period of time before it vanished just as quickly as it came. "It's like magic."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Magic isn't real."

"We are capable of using powers drawn from the innermost parts of the human soul, and the soul itself is said to be a completely non-existent thing in the scientific field as they try to come up with an explanation for the human body possessing the ability to use Aura. If we can control the elements, move at high speeds, and break stone with our bare hands...among other things..." Blake's amber eyes met the ice blue ones of her teammate. "...why shouldn't magic exist?"

"..." Weiss made no comment.

"Are you all aware of what I expect you all to do in this class?" The bespectacled woman asked. The students all nodded. "Good. Now please turn your eyes to the screens to see who will be chosen."

On the far end of the room, two currently black screens emerged from the wall before flickering to life as electrical current was channeled into their circuitry. Images of the class members were shuffled through at a rapid pace that it made it seem as if you were gazing at a mixture of two or three people all in one picture. After a few seconds of quiet suspense, a soft ping echoed throughout the combat arena/classroom.

"Blake Belladonna of Team RWBY! Michael Bloodmoon of Team BLMK! You are both chosen to be your year's first combatants for Combat Training 101!" Blake and Michael both rose out of their chairs and headed towards the arena.

"Do your best Blake!" Ruby cheered for her black haired teammate.

"Michael." Lora gripped her friend's wrist tightly as he walked past her. "Don't do anything rash, alright?"

"S-Sorry." The wolf Faunus muttered shyly as his ears pressed against his head. "I'll...I'll do my best."

"I know you will." Lora then got a teasing smirk on her face as she patted her fellow Faunus on the cheek. "Now who's a good boy?"

"Lora, I'm not a dog." The blue eyed boy whined as his tail swished anxiously. The bird Faunus giggled as the Bloodmoon clan member pouted at her teasing. "Not a dog." The white haired teenager then moved towards the battlefield where his opponent stood across from him.

Glynda stood at the midline of the battleground, just outside the Bounded Field. "All of you watch your battling classmates closely as there is much you all can learn. What to do and what not to do in battle being the most important things. Are you both prepared?"

Blake nodded as she shifted into her battle stance and held Gambol Shroud in her hands as Michael adjusted his gauntlets, scraping his claws against each other in a way that had small sparks jumping forth. He then gave his nod of confirmation to Goodwitch.

"Alright, the combatants are set. Let's see who will win this battle." Glynda raised her arm and then swung it down. "BEGIN!"

Blake immediately took off from her spot, a streak of dust marking her fast paced movement. The sheathed cleaver-like weapon was held tightly as she utilized friction to spin on her heels and deliver a powerful upward slash to her opponent. Despite being sheathed, the weapon was still deadly as the sheath itself bore a cutting edge, something Michael learned as he raised his gauntlet covered arms in front of his chest and blocked the powerful strike. Sparks flew from the friction between the metals as Michael pushed back against Blake's smaller frame before unleashing a howl as he aimed a powerful slash to her chest. Blake sidestepped the attack and lashed out with a punch to the face which Michael tilted his head to dodge with ease before he ducked down to get into his opponent's guard and strike with a strong right hook that would have struck her rib area had she not brought her sheathed weapon across to divert its path away from her body. Sheath and gauntlet produced another bright flash of sparks, but Michael was still within striking range.

"HRAH!" The blue eyed demi-human took a strong step forward and raised his knee. Blake raised up her corresponding leg to block the strike, but the force behind the blow had her taking a step backwards. With a bit of room in between them, Michael roared as he brought his left arm down upon her skull. Blake quickly unsheathed Gambol Shroud so would she have sheath and katana blade to defend her from the strike. Her amber eyes widened as the resounding CLANG echoed throughout the combat arena, a shockwave racing out from the point of impact and had the ground cracking beneath her feet.

"What...What strength!" She muttered through gritted teeth as her arms shook from the effort she was exerting to hold off her canine opponent. Her amber eyes remained wide as the Bloodmoon clan member followed up with a straight kick to the chest, but Blake decided to utilize her Semblance. Her shadow clone was created and the assaulting limb of the wold Faunus passed harmlessly through said clone.

The wolf Faunus's ears twitched and he glanced up to see his opponent had taken an upward trajectory before tossing her weapons to either side of her in the air. The ribbons wrapped around her arms were also unleashed, attaching themselves to both sheath and katana hilt with practiced ease.

"I have you now, wolf!" Blake exclaimed as she spun her body as if she were a fighter jet performing a barrel roll. Katana and bladed sheath were given an extensive reach due to the ribbons that were connected to them and so Michael met her blow for blow with his chain blades. Each collision of blade against blade and steel on steel had flashes of sparks accompanied by clangs, but Blake began to lose what little speed she had managed to generate and so with her final rotation she put a large amount of force into her swings to bring both katana and sheath down upon her opponent.

Michael's blue eyes narrowed as he was forced to raise his arms and block the attack. The attack struck with enough force to send him skidding backwards a few feet before he came to a stop as Blake landed on the ground in a crouched position with her weapons once again held in her grip.

* * *

"YEAH! GO BLAKE!" Yang cheered for her teammate and partner.

"BL-AKE! BL-AKE!" Ruby chanted alongside her sister before turning to her white haired partner. "Hey, super special best friend, why aren't you cheering?"

"I'm not cheering because I'm concerned for our teammate." The heiress replied. Ruby and Yang both turned to the rapier wielding heiress with confused looks on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked. "Sure Michael is holding his own, but Blake is pushing him back."

"No, Weiss is right. Look." Yang followed her sister's pointing finger. Her lilac coloured eyes widened as they found the image of Blake's Aura meter. "Her Aura meter is lower."

"What? But how?" Yang asked. Michael's aura meter did go down by approximately five percent, but Blake's aura meter was currently down by a noticeable fifteen percent.

"During their exchange in close quarters, she was wincing from the force of his strikes which appear to much stronger than they look. Not to mention there was that attack that generated a shockwave which speaks volumes of what he is capable of before she was forced to use her Semblance to dodge his straight kick." Weiss explained.

"There's also the fact that he hasn't even used his Aura as a battle enhancement yet." Ruby pointed out. "I have speed as my Semblance, so I know when someone uses Aura to enhance it. He's naturally been moving fast enough to keep up with Blake and we all saw Blake fight when we fought in the Emerald Forest. She's pretty quick."

Yang bit her lip as a worried expression adorned her pretty face. "Damn."

* * *

With a flick of her wrist, the katana hilt of Gambol Shroud morphed to become the grip, trigger and barrel for her compact, striker fired pistol. "You're fast, but can you dodge bullets?"

She pulled the trigger and bullets were fired at the wolf Faunus, however, the cat Faunus found her question to be answered as the white haired boy utilized extreme levels of agility to move forward while also hopping around the arena to avoid the onslaught of lead. He leaped left and then right before going into a front flip over another round of lead sent his way. He rolled as he landed on the ground before pushing up and going into a barrel roll motion while slashing the air with his gauntlets to bat aside two more bullets sent his way. Once he landed, he had immediately switched from running on two legs to running on all-fours. His speed took on a drastic increase as he moved like a beast, Blake's amber eyes shifting every which way as she could barely keep track of the clan wolf Faunus.

Realizing she needed to conserve her rounds, she turned her katana back into its original form before her hidden ears twitched. She spun quickly as Michael seemed to have materialized behind her and raised her blade and sheath to block the double slash attack from her opponent. The raven haired RWBY member was sent skidding backwards, but quickly hopped to the side as Michael sent his chain blade towards her before having to raised her sheath to block the spear-like strike to her torso. It knocked her down alongside her aura meter, but she was quick to recover.

"Dance for me, cat." The BLMK member spoke with a vicious snarl as he made Blake jump around to avoid being taken down by the chain blades. Constant motion made her muscles burn, screaming as they wished for rest to remove the lactic acid from their constitution, but Blake had to keep moving otherwise her Aura wouldn't last long. Landing in a kneeling position to gain some form of rest, Blake panted as the former White Fang assassin swung his chain blades at her location.

"No!" The amber eyed member of Team RWBY surged forward as she utilized her Semblance. The shadow clone was obscured by the dust cloud formed as the sharp blades crashed into the battleground with literally earth breaking impacts. Blake then held Gambol Shroud and went into an onslaught of slashes and kicks that made her limbs look like blurs of ebony.

Michael's blue eyes narrowed in annoyance as he was once again forced on the defensive due to his opponent's agile motions. The black haired beauty did not stop there as she performed a downward vertical slash before bending down low to take her opponent's feet out from under him. Michael hopped over the attack before stamping his foot down, anchoring the disguised Faunus's blade to the ground before lashing out with a strong kick that nailed her in the face.

Blake grunted in pain as the bar beneath her profile image on the screen went down by about two percent. She rolled with the force of the blow as she was sent flying back from the kick. As she recovered in a kneeling position, she thrust her right arm forward and the ribbon that was wrapped around it was sent forth as if it gained a life of its own. The ribbon attached itself to the hilt of Gambol Shroud and Blake then activated her Semblance. The shadow clone was generated before quickly vanishing out of existence when Blake suddenly gained a significant increase in speed to lash out with a kick to her opponent's leg.

A quick backhand spring placed the blue eyed Faunus out of harm's way, but once Blake secured a grip on her blade she quickly went into a handstand and spread her legs so her body made a 'T' shape. She rotated her body and a whirlwind of kicks were sent Michael's way. With experience and speed that came from years of enduring harsh training with both his clan and the White Fang, the wolf Faunus easily ducked under each and every kick sent his way before he leaped backwards to gain some room while also swiping his arm to unleash the wicked blade that was attached to his right arm's gauntlet. The chain rattled loudly as the blade made its way towards Blake, but the cat Faunus bent her arms and pushed herself high into the air just as the blade slammed into the ground, cracking it slightly as the sharp tip stabbed into the ground.

Michael then glanced at his airborne opponent as she held her blade high. With a loud battle cry, Blake utilized her Semblance, forming a shadow to give her an extra boost in speed as she went into a series of front flips to increase her momentum. The wolf Faunus growled like canine his animalistic traits stemmed from. She was moving too fast and while he could block it, a quick glance at the screens showed that he was still in the green while she was halfway through the yellow zone of her aura levels. He raised his left arm to try and get at least one solid blow in before she would be allowed to be successful in her attack.

Time seemed to slow down as the combatants neared each other. Blake's blade descended towards Michael as the Team Blackmark member's claws neared her head. However, Blake's keen sense of vision took note of the trajectory of her male opponent's strike.

"Oh no." Her amber eyes widened and the raven haired beauty quickly shifted her blade to block Michael's strike. The wolf Faunus was wide eyed as well, but for a completely different reason as he watched his opponent tumble through the air and bounce across the battleground before rolling to a stop.

Glynda shook her head while releasing a sigh of disappointment towards the bow wearing girl. 'I really do pity her.'

Michael's hair covered his eyes in the shadows they made as he bent his head slightly. His gauntlet covered fists were clenched tightly as he made his way over to Blake, his shoulder shaking with restrained emotion. "You...You..."

* * *

"She forfeited the attack for the bow." Byron muttered.

"That's disappointing." Kiran added. "Even if this is simply combat training, you would think she would at least sacrifice the bow for it."

"Maybe you should try something like that. How many pairs of glasses have you lost during our campaigns?"

"...Thirty-three." The bespectacled boy muttered. "But still, that is exactly my point. I sacrifice potentially perfect eyesight for the kill."

"Maybe the bow means something? Sentimental value?" Byron suggested.

"It's not sentimental. She bought a lot of them to use in case she lost one during her missions with Adam." Lora looked at her fellow female Faunus with disappointment.

"Michael may be shy, but he showed it in class. He doesn't like it when people cover up who they are." Kiran said. "She probably angered him with what she just did."

"He has every right to be with an opponent like her." Lora defended her fellow Faunus. "She's a..."

* * *

"Coward." The white haired BLMK member snarled as he watched his opponent steadily climb back to her feet. "I can't believe you sacrificed the attack for _that_." A sharp glare was directed towards the piece of cloth that rested atop her head. He flexed his claws and took a strong step forward and delivered a swift uppercut with his free arm. Blake stumbled back from the strike before raising Gambol Shroud's blade to block the downward strike that would have descended upon her skull. The katana sung from the impact as its wielder was sent skidding backwards.

Blake shook her head to regain her bearings, but her eyes widened as Michael was already in front of her. He lashed out with a kick to her right knee, destroying her balance and bringing her into a vulnerable position as he once again aimed a claw strike to her bow covered head. And once again, Blake forfeited logic for the protection of her bow as her opponent struck her devastating force, sending her flying through the air. However, she was not given the luxury of flying the full distance as a blur of crimson suddenly streaked past her.

Michael roared like a beast, crimson aura flowing from his body and licking the air like a raging fire. His clawed fist clenched tightly before he unleashed the powerful uppercut to Blake's airborne form and sent her skyward. The rattling of Michael's golden chain blades followed after her and wrapped themselves securely around her waist. She was jostled around like a rag doll as Michael howled. The white haired BLMK member jumped high into the air and performed a front flip to then swing his black haired opponent down into the ground with enough force to crack the arena floor. The sound akin to glass being shattered echoed across the battlefield alongside stock sound footage of a horn blaring.

The sounds that signified Blake's Aura being reduced to zero and the battle being brought to an end fell on deaf ears however as the blood lust from the clan wolf Faunus burned as brightly as his crimson aura. The image of a massive wolf head howled as he descended towards his downed opponent.

"This will end it!" Michael roared, but the white haired Faunus was suddenly stopped in midair. His anger only served to increase as the violet outline that came from being trapped in Glynda's Semblance of telekinesis formed around his body.

"That's enough, Mister Bloodmoon." She spoke with authority and a dangerous edge to her tone. "Your opponent's Aura has been exhausted and you are the victor. The battle has ended."

Michael glared at the blonde teacher before nodding slowly. Glynda gave her nod of acceptance once she saw the crimson aura around her student die down completely before resting him down on the ground. The white haired boy walked past Blake as he made his way out of the combat arena, his blue eyes meeting her amber ones as he did so.

* * *

Rooftop Balcony, Beacon Academy, Vale

The shattered moon cast its silvery glow over the world of Remnant. All the other students of the academy had long gone to bed, but currently, Michael found himself to be the spectator to the stars above. He somehow found peace when he gazed at its shattered visage and he needed it too as she remembered the events from earlier today. He looked down at his claws and frowned deeply.

'It's been a while since I got that angry.' He thought. His ears twitched as he heard quiet footsteps behind him and his nostrils flared slightly as the wind gave him the scent of feline. An apologetic smile formed on his face as he turned around to face the B of RWBY.

"S-Sorry for being so mad. I-I tend to get like that wh-when I'm angry."

"You really haven't changed much, huh captain?" Blake's rhetorical question was accompanied with a small laugh. "It really surprises me every time to see you be so shy outside of battle."

"I-I-I am no longer your captain. And just like L-Lora and I...we aren't White Fang." Michael gained a small frown on his face. "Not anymore."

A moment of silence passed between the wolf and the cat before Michael looked up at Blake. "Y-You could have dodged that attack to your head with your Semblance." Michael said softly. "D-Does that b-bow really matter so much to you that you would give up victory for it?"

"I need it."

Killing intent came with an angry growl, shocking the cat Faunus as the white haired boy's blue eyes seemed to stare into her soul. Anger. Heavily restrained anger, but anger nonetheless, coursed through his veins once more. With that anger came a more verbally proficient Michael Bloodmoon. "No. You don't."

"Yes, I do." Her own anger spiked as her amber eyes narrowed at her former captain.

"No! You don't!"

"YES! I DO!" She exclaimed.

"Why?!"

His simple question was enough to break her as tears lined her eyes. She undid the ribbon and pulled it off, revealing the black cat ears which poked through her ebony locks.

"Because..." She glanced to her teammates as they looked at her with concern. "I've lost so much because of these ears. I don't want to lose anything anymore and I'm afraid I'll lose _them._ "

"Bullshit, cat." Michael said as he closed the distance between them. "Two of my best friends are humans."

"Not all humans are as accepting as the ones you have, Captain." She whispered softly as she held the bow tightly to her chest. "I need the bow or I'll lose everything."

"No. You'll lose everything if you keep that damned thing." The M of BLMK stated before his eyes narrowed. "You said you see the other members of your team as your friends, correct? That they are precious to you?"

"Yes." She confirmed with a stiff nod.

"The bow is precious to you as well?"

Another nod.

"Then let me ask you this, Blake." Michael paused for a moment as he glanced between the dorm room area and then to Blake's bow. "Someone will kill your teammates tonight. You are given the opportunity to save them without any harm coming to them, but the only way you can do that is if you lost the bow. Would you do it?"

"Wh-What?" Blake's eyes widened in shock at the sudden question. "I don't...understand. What are you..."

"I'm asking you, Blake Belladonna, would you put your friends and teammates above your faux identity as a simple human? What's more important?! What are your priorities?! Them?!" He pointed to the dorms. "Or the bow?!"

"I...I...I..." Blake stuttered, trying to give her former superior officer an answer. Her hesitation was answer enough for the former captain of the White Fang it seemed as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"We have nothing more to discuss."

And with those words, Michael headed back to the dorms and left Blake alone staring at a piece of black cloth.

* * *

 **(A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Sorry for the long delay, but med school is killer on the amount of free time and my summer vacation was actually only two weeks long because I started my third year on June 6th and only recently got a break. Hope you guys like this chapter and please review, review, review!)**


	7. Chapter 7:The Joy of Teaching

Mistakes

Chapter 7: The Joy of Teaching

Lecture Hall 1, Beacon Academy, Vale  


Oh Mondays. Even though Sunday was the technical beginning of the week, the majority of people all claimed that their weeks all started with a Monday because that was the day that their two day period of being free from responsibilities came to an end. Working men and women had to return to their jobs, children had to go to school...oh yes, Mondays were the bane of an individual's entire seven day week.

The bell then rang to signal the beginning of Professor Port's 8 o' clock Grimm Studies class. The rotund educator nodded as he looked around at the class of first years, taking note of their tired forms.

"Good morning class."

The chorus of groans was the reply to the rotund teacher's rather jovial greeting.

"Well now, that is hardly the greeting befitting of noble huntsmen and huntresses of the future. Why, I remember back in my day when the eagerness to learn was practically palpable, filling up the entire atmosphere of the classroom. It was back in my first semester and I must say, if not for Oobleck's presence I could have been the number one student, haha!"

The rolling of everyone's eyes served well to reveal their displeasure of being met with another of Professor Port's many exaggerated tales.

"However, you are not here to listen to my amazing tales of adventure and suspense my wonderful students." Professor Port then proceeded to snap his fingers and a pair of men dressed in uniforms not unlike the ones associated with the Valian Postal Service, burst through the doors of the auditorium with a large steel box. They rested the box down and proceeded to exit the classroom without a word.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Who were the mailmen?"

"Giant steel box with what I now observe to have glowing red eyes peering through the caged slot, and the thing you're most focused on are who the mailmen are?" Weiss asked.

"These are questions that need to be addressed." The busty seventeen year old replied seriously.

"I agree." Nora nodded her head stiffly in agreement earning her a complimentary high five from the lavender eyed girl. Weiss and Ren rolled their eyes at the two girls before all attention was placed back on Professor Port and his new box.

"Now, this lesson today will be about something that is very important in our line of work." Port stated. "The intense feeling of dread, despair, hopelessness and death all culminated into one purely destructive force of negative emotion. All living creatures can summon it, but only humans have shown the ability to actively control this force. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what I am referring to?"

The Schnee heiress raised her hand to which Port acknowledged her with a nod.

"I believe you are referring to killing intent, Professor."

"Yes! Well done Miss Schnee!" Port laughed jovially. "Killing intent is indeed the answer. Now the reason why this is important for you all to learn about is because out in the field, wild animals, Grimm and even humans will be using the skill of summoning killing intent as a means to aid them in battle and survival. Killing intent generates a paralytic effect on the body. It produces a feeling of fear within the target that only those who have faced it before, or those who have a great tolerance for it can withstand its effects. The Creatures of Grim are very adept at producing killing intent, but in addition, they are also adept at tracking by following killing intent. We huntsmen and huntresses hunt with the intent to kill our targets and it is because of the mild killing intent we exhume when we hunt that sometimes, the Grimm can get the better of us."

"So..." Jaune muttered nervously as he raised his hand. "Is there a way to hide from the Grimm then?"

"It's actually a very simple method, Mr. Arc. Would you or anyone else care to take a shot at guessing what the answer is?" Port asked. "Miss Schnee?"

Despite her wealth of knowledge, Team RWBY's resident ice queen was left at a loss for words as she had her eyes narrowed in deep thought.

'Well someone is overthinking things.' He chuckled as the rest of the class remained silent and immobile. "Come now, class, surely one of you have an unsure idea of what is to be done."

"Ummm...well, I could give it a try." Ruby said as she raised her hand. Though I'm not sure if I'm right or..." The sniper-scythe wielder felt her anxiety rise to all new heights as she felt the gazes of all her classmates being directed towards her. Her hands shook and her palms became very sweaty.

"Miss Rose." Professor Port's loud voice bore a tone of calm as he directed his squinty eyed gaze at her. "You, much like the rest of your classmates are now starting your journeys to become huntsmen and huntresses. I will be blunt when I say I do not expect anyone to know much about anything because these are your first steps. Miss Schnee is a brilliant student, yes...but she does not know everything and so whenever she attempts answering my questions, I praise her. At this point in your education, there is no merit to remaining silent. Trying to answer a question rather than not attempting at all is something to be praised for in the world of education as it shows that you are being mentally stimulated. You will not be berated nor insulted for your attempts, I can assure you of that."

The classroom was silent for a moment as the words were being processed by all twenty-eight students. Kiran and Byron bore rather surprised looks on their faces.

"The Captain seems to have gained quite a silver tongue since he's finished being on the battlefield it seems." Byron commented.

"Quite." Kiran nodded in agreement as he adjusted his glasses. "Teaching really has humbled him and improved his character for the better."

The brothers noted as Ruby's previously anxious expression vanished as she took a deep breath in and then exhaled. The red cloaked girl then nodded stiffly as she pushed down her excess thoughts and spoke her answer. "Ok, so my idea was that since the Grimm track us by following the killing intent we release when we go out on our expeditions, then you can just...turn it...off...I guess."

The fifteen year old scratched the back of her head and chuckled nervously as her anxiety got the better of her once again, but her silver eyes widened when she saw the rotund huntsman give a nod of approval. The other members of Team RWBY all had wide eyes as they turned to Ruby and then to Professor Port.

"She's right?!" The three seventeen year olds exclaimed.

"I'm right?!" Ruby's exclamation followed directly after, her eyes wide with shock, but a bright grin adorning her face.

"Turning off the killing intent is a rather significant oversimplification of the action, but Miss Rose, while they aren't the exact words I would use, I will you give your credit where it is due." Professor Port said. "You are indeed correct."

"Nailed it!" Ruby turned to Kiran and gave a high-five to her fellow weapons fanatic. Professor Port chuckled at his youngest student's enthusiasm.

"Yes. Miss Rose's idea to turn off your killing intent is the correct way to go." Port stated. "A Creature of Grimm will follow the trail of negative emotion like a moth to a flame."

"So ummm how exactly does one do that?" Jaune asked as he raised his hand.

"Truth be told Mr. Arc, the ability to wield killing intent with proficiency takes many years of practice. Turning it off is an act done using pure force of will, and it took me almost seven years on the battlefront to master the craft." Port answered. "However, I believe it would be best for you all to witness the skill with your own two eyes. Boys, if you would be so kind."

The Gopaul brothers rose from their seats without a word. They strode down the steps to the open area of the lecture hall, the eyes of the other twenty-six students focusing intently on them and the rattling cage they now stood in front of.

"Captain, while we have no qualms about demonstrating your lesson to the class...why don't you do it yourself?" Byron asked.

"Why Byron, while I would like to perform the demonstration myself, I am humble enough to say that the students of Ozpin are far better than myself. Why I remember during your early years when we were surrounded by that herd of Boarbatusks..."

"Beowolves." The boys corrected.

"It was night..."

"It was midday."

"I had lost my weapons and you were the only line of defense against me and certain death!"

"Captain..." Kiran sighed. "You had your weapon and there was a full hunting team under our command. We were fine."

The entire class gave constricted expressions of amusement as they observed the interaction between the former captain and his former subordinates. The degenerating vigor in Port's voice was lost with each correction the Gopaul brothers made to the teacher's story until finally the rotund man simply gave a slightly aggravated look at the boys, a pulsating vein visible on his forehead. Byron and Kiran were as indifferent as they always were.

"...Just do the thing."

"Yes Captain."

"Just know that I have the utmost faith in you."

Everyone else in the room couldn't help but give the older huntsman a deadpan stare as he had made the statement from behind the podium at the far end of the lecture theatre.

Rolling their eyes at their former field captain, the brothers placed their undivided attention upon the rattling cage. The other students leaned forward in their seats in both anticipation as well as some anxiety. Within that cage were some of the most fearsome creatures to walk the Earth and one could only imagine how many ways this could all go sideways.

Professor Port then gave a nod which the boys returned. Byron and Kiran took deep breaths as they closed their eyes. Nothing else in the room existed except for them and the beasts within the cage. The ferocious snarls and howls that echoed from within met their ears until the sound of their teacher's Blunderbuss being fired was heard. The latch was broken from the force of the bullet and the moment it had been undone, the two Beowolves pounced out of their jail and into the light before coming to a halt as Byron's and Kiran's eyes snapped open. Suddenly, a powerful force of negative emotion graced their senses.

"What the..." Yang could practically touch the atmosphere, it had become so tense.

"Yang...I...I can't breathe." Ruby gasped as she gripped at her throat.

Not many others fared that well either. Some also felt incapable of breathing, others felt their stomachs turn and all eyes were wide as they suddenly had their mind's eye being greeted with the images of gruesome death. For the second time since arriving at Beacon, Jaune felt the need to puke his guts out. To his credit, he did well to resist the urge. Damn was it difficult though.

Blake, Pyrrha, Yang, Ren and Nora were the few who managed to remain composed throughout the entire ordeal. They all had their own experiences, but they had all each come face to face with the powerful force of killing intent at some point in their lives. However, the way the brothers were utilizing it, it was far more terrifying to know that one could manipulate the very feeling to bring about death. Their eyes then widened as the killing intent seemed to warp the space around them in a manner similar to how the air would ripple from intense heat. It was at that moment that they swore they could have seen phantasmal images standing behind the students of Ozpin.

Behind Byron, there was the phantasm of a powerful golden beast that looked very much like a lion. Its body was composed of bright golden aura and bore a mane that seemed to be even brighter, said mane flickering and flowing like a flame. The lion phantasm bore a black armoured mask over its face with red eyes that shone an evil crimson as it growled, baring its fangs.

Kiran's phantasm was far more humanoid, but equally terrifying. It was a massive silver titan which was clad in bright silver armour. The titan had three faces, each face bearing a demonic visage complete with glowing red eyes and lips curled into ferocious snarls that revealed sharp teeth. The armoured titan flexed each one of its six arms, gripping a wicked blade in each of its hands.

Despite the terrifying avatars that stood behind Byron and Kiran, the two Creatures of Grimm gained expressions of predatory hunger, drool cascading from their panting maws as they licked their lips with delight. The intent to kill flowed strongly from the two humans before them, but despite being juveniles that craved to rend the flesh from their prey's bones, these Beowolves had had enough experience in the outside world to know when to strike. They had made mistakes on the battlefield before and it was what had led to them being thrown into the cage, but they had learned from that experience. This was reflected in how they slowly and tentatively circled the two killing intent users.

Time ticked away as what felt like hours was actually only mere seconds. The brothers then shifted their bodies into fighting stances and the Beowolves tensed their muscles. They bared their fangs and dug their claws into the tiled floor in preparation for combat. They kept their eyes trained on the students of Ozpin, their eyes twitching every now and then to pick up on any external noises and to listen to the breathing of their prey...and then they blinked.

The moment their eyes opened, the killing intent vanished from view along with their users. There was no sound of their feet shifting, no clothes ruffling and not even a grunt to show effort in their physical actions. It was just one moment they were present and then they just disappeared. The Beowolves spun around the room, looking for their prey with just as much confusion as the rest of the room.

Ruby gasped and hugged her sister as she found the ability to breathe again.

"Hey...where'd they go?" Nora asked. "They were quiet. Ren, I think they made sloth noises."

"Well...sloths don't make a lot of noise so you aren't wrong." The green clad huntsman in-training replied to his orange haired teammate.

"Do you think they're ninjas?" The hammer wielding embodiment of a sugar rush had eyes wide with amazement as her imagination ran rampant with the idea that the students of Ozpin were actually ninjas. However, the orange haired girl was brought out of her thoughts when she was tapped on her arm by Lora. The raven feathered Faunus pointed up at the ceiling and all who saw her motion followed her finger. Their eyes widened and their mouths were agape as the boys were just in the middle of completing their acrobatic motions to place their feet against the high ceiling of the lecture theatre.

"That ceiling is over fifty feet high!" Weiss exclaimed.

"NINJAS!"

The outbursts from the two girls distracted the Beowolves from their search for their original prey and forced their red eyes to gaze upon the other first year students of Beacon. With new prey in sight, the Beowolves growled as fear and anxiety sprung forth from the hearts of a few members of the class. However, the Beowolves never even had a chance to begin their charge as Byron and Kiran had pushed off of the ceiling and fell like missiles towards their opponents. No aura or weapons were utilized as Byron and Kiran both crashed down upon the backs of the Beowolves. The sound of their spines snapping had been obscured by the loud yelps of pain they released, but the yelps and whimpers of the now paralyzed beasts had quickly turned back to silence as they performed a simultaneous choke hold, wrapping one arm around the throat while gripping the top of the head. It looked like a simple and effortless maneuver, but to snap the neck of a Beowolf required far more torque than what was required to snap a human neck.

Human necks were capable of withstanding up to just under 1000 foot-pounds of torque, or 1300 Newton-metres if one were to apply that particular unit of measurement. To break the neck would require between 1000 to 1250 foot-pounds or between 1350 to 1700 Newton-metres of torque. Most instances of breaking the neck involved assistance from a weapon being swung with the necessary force or to deliver a blow such as a very strong spin kick. To put things into perspective, a Beowolf was far more muscular and thus had far more muscle fibres to provide support and stability for the neck vertebrae to withstand powerful applications of force, thus requiring approximately 2000 foot-pounds of torque at the very least and an Alpha would require twice that amount to have its spinal column broken. Kiran and Byron had managed to do that with pure physical might.

In essence...Byron and Kiran were _very very_ strong.

The boys rose up from the bodies of the Beowolves as they began to dissipate into the wisps of shadow Grimm were known to become after being killed. Patting down their pants, the two boys turned to Professor Port and nodded.

"Was that a satisfactory display, Captain?" Byron asked.

"Of course!" The rotund huntsman laughed, giving a proud clap on the gauntlet wielder's shoulder. "You and your brother are still quite adept at using killing intent! Quite a good show, boys! Very good!"

The three males then turned to the rest of the class as they took note of the silence. Shocked was by far a massive understatement of what they were expressing as all eyes focused on the students of Ozpin. A slow gulp was then heard from Jaune as he pointed a shaky finger at them.

"Wh-Wh-What was th-that?"

"Killing intent." Kiran replied curtly. "This is the point of the lesson after all; to display its use against the Grimm. As you were able to see, when my brother and I showed our killing intent, the Beowolves placed their focus entirely on us. You may felt some degree of negative emotion, most probably fear or anxiety, but our killing intent was more than enough to overwhelm the negative emotions you all would have exhibited and allowed us to keep the Beowolves trained on us. Then, when we shifted to the ceiling, we cancelled it. The Bewolves have an adept sense of smell and hearing, but we had moved out of their sight fast enough to also catch them off-guard. Unfortunately, your emotions were put into play and so we moved quickly to kill them before they could move to attack you all."

"No, we get that." Ruby waved her hands in front of her body, but then pointed a finger past them. "But what was that you two did earlier. There was a lion and some kind of demon giant behind you guys when you used your killing intent. What was that?"

"Oh you mean the avatars?" Byron asked. "Captain?"

"Go ahead. I've never been able to generate an avatar for myself, so you would be far better at explaining this phenomenon that I would ever be." Port gestured to the elder Gopaul brother to take the stage. The curly haired nineteen year old nodded his head before turning back to class.

"The avatars are a concentrated form of will, aura and killing intent. Due to this phenomenon being the culmination of three very non-biological elements, it is a very difficult skill to accomplish and it took Kiri and I a number of years to summon our avatars at will and completely master the craft." Byron explained.

"So how does that all work?" Blake asked. "You said it has three components, but what is it exactly that happens that creates the avatar?"

"It is quite a difficult process to explain, Blake." Byron admitted with a scratch of his head. "However, I will try my best. Kiri will act as my visual representative for the processes I will be explaining as, even though I am the more emotional one between the two of us, he is better at the control aspect of it."

Some of their classmates raised their eyebrows at the older Gopaul brother's claim. ' _You're_ the emotional one?' The shorter boy had more vocal tone compared to his bespectacled brother, but he was still rather unemotional when all was said and done.

The two brothers then made their way over to the boards at the end of the room. He pushed aside two of the cork boards that displayed the various diagrams of the Creatures of Grimm to get to the largest one and flipped the board to reveal the blank white surface on the back. Without even looking, he snatched the marker that Professor Port tossed towards him. A few claps were heard through the lecture theatre at the display of reaction speed and Byron could not help but smirk as a small bit of his ego broke through to the surface.

"So we will begin with the first step of avatar generation. Aura." He uncapped the black inked writing utensil and wrote the five letter word down. "As a hunter, aura is our most versatile and important tool. It is an energy force that is drawn from the very soul itself, the crystallisation of years of training in both spiritual, physical and mental fortitude. It is used as a physical enhancement, a protective energy coating and is the source of how we manifest the true nature of souls; the Semblance. Aura is the energy source of all of our feats as hunters and the generation of the avatars is no different."

Kiran took a step forward and adjusted his glasses as he summoned forth his aura. The silver light of his soul outlined his body and danced like a flickering fire.

"The second element would be the killing intent." He wrote down the two words beneath the 'Aura' label. "Now killing intent is so very intense in its ability to create visual hallucinations and if you have a great deal of mastery over it, you can create them at your leisure. You create the ability to make your victims see visions of death and destruction. These visions tend to be related to the victim's own death and it is what causes them to freeze up. They would be incapable of movement for a few seconds at most as they would have been shocked at seeing such images, but those few seconds are more than enough to move in for a final blow." Byron explained as he then drew a small happy face and then an angry face next to 'Killing Intent'. "As Captain Port explained beforehand, killing intent is a controlled release of negative emotions. Now biologically, emotions are a result of various chemical reactions in the brain, primarily serotonin and dopamine, which are funneled across the synapses in response to certain stimuli. However, emotions are a key aspect of what identifies us as sentient, living beings. Emotions are positive and negative."

He pointed to the two faces he drew beforehand.

"We focus on drawing out the negative emotions when utilizing killing intent. We draw out the rage, greed and fear; the culmination of what makes us all violent and destructive creatures whether we be human or Faunus." He paused to look back at the class, nodding in satisfaction when he saw their attentions hadn't strayed. "These emotions are found within the depth of the soul and so we call upon it. It is essentially our inner beast, the darkness within our very hearts and souls brought to surface and directed at a singular target. Yes, Weiss?"

The white haired heiress dropped her raised hand upon being acknowledged. "But if both our auras and killing intent are drawn from our souls like you say they are, then how is it that you claim that this is a difficult skill to acquire? If both things from the same source, then it should be easy to generate an avatar."

"Weiss-cream's got a point."

"Don't call me that!"

"Nah, still got a bit of hate in me left from you bitchin' on my little sister." Yang replied with a cat-like grin. "I'm in this for the long game, Weiss-cream."

The pale skinned girl turned red with embarrassment as the nearby class members openly laughed at the buxom blonde's words.

"A valid assumption, Weiss, but that is not the case." Byron answered as he turned back to the board and drew an outline of the human body, writing the word 'SOUL' where the heart would be located. He drew then drew one circle and labelled it 'Aura' and then another circle labelled 'Emotion'. "The soul has many aspects to it, but when it comes to aura generation and killing intent utilization, it is like having two different containers within the same storage space. Aura generation is summoning aura in its purest form." He gestured to his still silver-outlined brother. "As Kiri is demonstrating, the aura is alone. A bright and powerful energy force, but killing intent now..."

Kiran took his brother's pause as his cue to stop his aura. The silver glow around his body died away, but then the familiar ripple of the air came forth as a burst of negative emotion sprung forth from his body. It wasn't as intense as it had been when they were demonstrating its usage on the Beowolves, but it was still enough to make others feel queasy.

"Emotions have their own containment within the soul that act in tandem with the biological factors to be drawn out. Selectively calling upon the negative ones are what generates killing intent." He then turned back to the board and wrote the word 'WILL'. "Now the final piece of the puzzle that aids to generate an avatar. Will."

Byron raised his marker and drew a straight, horizontal line across a portion of the white board.

"Now in order to explain this portion, we will need to delve into the hypothetical existence of what is known as the emotional spectrum." He wrote out each word as he called them out to the class. "Rage. Greed. Fear. Will. Hope. Love. Compassion. These are the seven core elements of the emotional spectrum which are found in all living things. It is composed of a negative compartment..." The shorter Gopaul brother then drew a lengthy outlined around 'Rage', 'Greed' and 'Fear' before drawing another outline which encompassed the 'Hope', 'Compassion' and 'Love'. "...and a positive compartment."

"But...what about 'Will'?" Ruby asked. "It's not a part of anything."

"And that my dear, Ruby Rose...is why this is important to know for avatar summoning." Byron pointed his marker at the scythe wielder with glint of emotion in his eyes. "The element of Will is the emotion that is defined as the control exerted to do something or to restrain impulses, and as you can see from my little diagram, Will is in the centre of the emotional spectrum and is thus a neutral element. This is due to the fact that Will acts as the driving force for the other emotions; you can _will_ yourself to feel rage when something upsets you; you can _will_ yourself to cling to hope when all is lost!" His voice increased in volume as he started to become more passionate about the subject. It was from that moment the class learned why Byron was the more emotional of the two students of Ozpin. "Will is the most potent and powerful of the elements of the emotional spectrum and that is why will is the most important part of summoning the avatar!"

"Will is utilized when a huntsman is able to manipulate both their killing intent and aura to a very high level."

Kiran closed his eyes in concentration and all eyes focused on the taller Gopaul brother as he summoned forth his aura once more. The silver glow of the energy within his soul licked at their surroundings like a flame, but then the dark portions of the emotional spectrum came to life as the waves of rage, greed and fear and all their associated sub-elements were drawn from the emotional portion of the bespectacled boy's soul. The aura and killing intent visibly merged, becoming a shape-less cloud of energy, but then the cloud began to twist and bend. It seemed to solidify, taking shape and form.

"They shape it. Bend it. When a huntsman or huntress earns a great deal of control over their aura and killing intent, they will the both of these elements to fuse and become a single entity. Essentially, when the hunter is capable of combining the two, it begins to take the appearance of their innermost representation of their soul's darkness."

Kiran's avatar, the six-armed demon, roared as it came into existence once more.

"The aura is the energy that is supplied by and originates from the soul itself." Kiran was the one who spoke this time as he looked up at his demonic avatar. "The dark emotional spectrum that lies within the soul is also called upon. So it is only logical that the avatar which is generated from such key aspects of the soul, would be the phantasmal reflection of the darkness within their souls. However, the appearance of an avatar is specific to each individual person. No one person has the exact same avatar. Mine took on the image a mystical being known as an Ashura, a demonic being of war from the religion of Nakara in the eastern region of Alma Torran. Ron's on the otherhand, though it may look like a lion, is actually a mythical beast known as Regulus Aurum. We don't know why or how our souls took such forms as their avatars, but nobody ever really truly understands the inner workings of these metaphysical elements."

The Ashura avatar vanished from view with a wave of Kiran's hand, and the two brothers stepped towards the class as they looked over their fellow classmates who were all currently in awe.

"Any questions?"

* * *

The Forge, Beacon Academy, Vale 

Beacon had been stronghold, a fortress to protect others from the Creatures of Grimm once upon a time. As such, in the event that the Creatures of Grimm would have ever breached the walls or if the huntsmen and huntresses were to have to venture out beyond the walls of Beacon Academy, they would have had to brandish weapons for their own protection. So, to have their weapons, they required a place to create them, a place to improve upon them if said improvements could be made, and also a place to re-forge them should the weapons return broken or battered from seeing numerous battles. Thus, the Forge had been created.

The Forge was a massive steel grey building with all the workings of an actual forge. In order to cater to numerous students would wished to pursue a career in weapons forging, as well as to accommodate to students who wanted to either re-forge or perform maintenance upon their own weapons, the Forge was equipped with a number of hearths. The massive fireplaces utilized either bituminous coal, industrial coke or charcoal as fuel to to generate the intense heat needed from the flames in order to heat the metal. In addition to the hearths which lined the walls; anvils, a variety of hammers ranging from ball-peen hammers used by smiths to sledgehammers utilized by the strikers, tongs, fullers, hardies and slack tubs were placed beside each individual hearth to provide for the individual who wished to use that particular hearth.

Laying in the grassy fields outside the Forge, the twenty-eight first year students all sat patiently for their class to begin.

The sound of hammers striking super heated metal, the smell of burning fuel, the whoosh of the air being released by the bellows to fan the flames through the tuyeres; it was music to a certain white haired wolf Faunus's ears. He released a content sigh before his ears twitched as he heard the light cough from his first year students.

"Ah, yes sorry. As a creator of weapons myself, the Forge holds a special place in my heart. I apologize for my spacing out." Arthur said with a nervous laugh. "Now then, let's right down to it. My name is Arthur Asimov. I may be young, but that does not matter as I was able to finish Beacon's four year curriculum within the span of two years due to my unbelievable intellect. Now, some of you might be wondering, why is it that someone like me who could be making a much better use of his time designing and creating the wonderful machines that he currently has ideas for is here with you new first year students for your Weapons Maintenance class?"

"Ummm not rea-" Jaune was immediately cut-off as the blue eyed genius continued to talk, answering his own question in one fell swoop.

"Well the answer is simple. I'm merely a substitute for your original teacher; Mister Vulcan. He was not able to be here, unfortunately, due to having some business to take care of in Atlas." The native of the Mother Country looked over his new students. They were no longer dressed in their standard uniforms, and were now clad in short-sleeved white t-shirts and baggy black pants which were tucked into a pair of black construction grade boots. Pairs of protective goggles rested atop their heads in a manner similar to the way he wore his own, though it lacked the magnification and heightened durability modifications that he had made to his. Some of them even wore bandannas around their heads.

'How adorable of them.' He chuckled inwardly before taking note of each and every one of their individual weapons they had been asked to bring with them to the Forge. "Now, all of you have brought your weapons with you. Riddle me this, my comrades...what created your weapons?"

"The blacksmith?" Dove had attempted an answer, but the green haired boy was given a negative.

"Anyone wishes to try again?" He asked. The rest of the students were quiet, but just as he was about to answer the question himself, his blue eyes spied the raised hand of a certain sniper-scythe wielder. "Yes, little girl?"

"My name is Ruby. Ruby Rose." She introduced herself to the young substitute. "Anyway, I was thinking that the answer would be more outside the box. Maybe it's your imagination. After all, blacksmiths imagine what they want to make and the only way to give a weapon shape is with your imagination."

"Precisely!" Arthur exclaimed. Ruby beamed at being correct, her silver eyes following Arthur around as his white head of hair twitched in two specific areas due to the excited flapping of his wolf ears. "Just as Ruby stated, the blacksmith is who creates your weapons...but he is not the what. Blacksmiths use their hands to bring to life the vision of the weapon they see lying hidden away within the chunk of raw metal and Dust. They give it shape and purpose. However, anyone can pound away at a hunk of metal...but the thing that brings about the image of what that metal can become...is this."

Arthur rapped a finger against his temple to bring his point home before turning back to the class. "The imagination is a weapon. Those who don't use it die first."

"Kumo Kagyu." He hadn't expected anyone to know the person who made that quote, but this new batch of huntsmen and huntresses were now beginning to grow on him as they continued to impress him with their ingenuity and knowledge. His blue eyes found the source of the female voice, his fanged grin now directed at Blake.

"Indeed. Kumo Kagyu was the one who created that saying." The scientific genius confirmed with a stiff nod. "Care to elaborate for the rest of the class, Miss...?"

"Blake." The disguised cat Faunus said. "Kumo Kagyu was an author of dark fantasy novels and he created that line of dialogue for his popular novel series, Goblin Slayer. In the books, he created a magic based world centering around a hero who specializes in killing Goblins. From the outset that doesn't sound very impressive, since those of you who have seen pictures or read in story books that goblins have a level of strength and intelligence comparable to that of human children. However, it was because of that that the characters in the novel underestimated the goblins. Many humans died throughout the course of the story as the goblins were capable of using their imagination to great effect, setting up ambush points in caves by using things like totems to draw the eye away from the shadows and hide in side-tunnels normally hidden in the shadows cast by the lanterns of the caves they dwelled in."

"Very true. It is a brilliant novel series and as a lover of literature, I can appreciate the content of the books to use in my teachings." Arthur smiled at Blake. "Very good Blake."

"So what does this have to do with weapons?" Cardin asked. "Story book fairy tales aren't going to teach us how to make our shit."

"And clearly, you did not utilize your ability to use abstract thinking to take the lesson I wanted to you all to glean upon from hearing Blake's description of the Goblin Slayer novels." Arthur growled out. "Tell me, was it _Dust_ that saved early man from the Creatures of Grimm? Was it the stone and stick that saved them? That is hardly the case, my boy. It was not the tools themselves that saved them, but rather how they used it. Dust by itself is only a tool, but if the mind that wields it is not sharp then you might as well be setting yourself up to die."

"What do you mean, Mr. Asimov?" Weiss asked.

"Oh don't be so formal, Weiss." Arthur chuckled as he saw the confused look on her face. "Oh don't be so surprised I know your name. I've invented weapons and whatnot for the Atlesian government and was asked by the SDC many times to send over blueprints of some of my prototypes."

"The SDC?" Lora raised a delicate eyebrow in confusion and mild surprise. "The SDC wanted help? From _you_?"

"Oh, but of course. Aside from how Faunus are seen by the corporation, Director Schnee cannot deny that I am smarter than every single scientific mind in his laboratories combined. Also, not not all Schnees are bad."

"And what makes you say that?" The L of BLMK asked.

"Well, Weiss here hasn't gotten up in arms about me being your teacher has she?" He gave a soft smile to Weiss.

"You should have heard her a few days ago."

"I said I was sorry."

"And that makes everything better?"

"Enough!" Arthur stamped his foot down, his blue eyes directing an ice cold stare at the bickering females.

Yang's violet eyes brightened, a sultry look forming on her face. "Oh? A teacher out age who has spine. Nice." Her comments were thankfully not heard by anyone else as they focused on the interaction between the two Faunus and the Schnee heiress.

"If you have a personal problem, leave it for outside the class. Also, Lora..."

The other students, aside from Michael, gained quizzical looks at how Arthur knew her name without any sort of introduction. However, they simply chalked it up to having known each other beforehand since they were both Faunus. Social segregation tended to create close-knit groups in the discriminated communities.

"I know you're not one to hold grudges based on family name alone. Our kind should know better than to antagonize based on one's past." Arthur's serious expression the softened as he looked back at Weiss. "I've interacted with other Schnee family members, and thus I've had the pleasure to have run-ins with your sister. Strong girl, that Winter. She is a very kind woman despite her stern exterior. She tested out some of the prototypes of the androids I had created in my early days of inventing after all. Plus..." He pointed to her hair. "...I know that hair colour anywhere. Despite the rainbow of hair colours that exist throughout the world, white hair isn't as common as you would think you know?"

"Oh." Was the intelligent reply from the scar-marked heiress.

"To answer your question though, Weiss, well...maybe a demonstration is in order." Arthur looked over the small crowd of students before pointing to Jaune and Kiran. "You, you are?"

"Me? Ummm Jaune." The blonde huntsman in-training replied.

"Well Jaune, you've been selected."

"Huh?"

"Oh, and Kiran. Come." Jaune and Kiran looked at each other in confusion before looking back at Arthur. "Come on now, don't be shy. Come! Come!"

The leader of Team JNPR quickly did as he was told while the K of BLMK took his time climbing to his feet. Jaune was then asked to draw his sword, while Kiran did the same with one his twin blades. The two swordsmen stood apart from each other as Arthur placed himself in the middle.

"Now this would be the perfect example. Here we have two huntsmen, both capable of wielding a sword. However, the difference in the mind is what makes the difference between these two combatants. Kiran here, is a master of his craft. I am not aware of how you are with your own weapon..." Arthur glanced at Jaune. "...but as the student of Ozpin, you know he outclasses you."

"Well...hard to argue with that." The blonde first year muttered.

"Now, don't go too hard on each other, but just move to strike each other." Arthur instructed. Jaune gulped as his brown skinned opponent took on a ready stance. His legs and arms already shaking from anxiety, the blue eyed Arc raised his sword. After an obligatory light smack of steel against steel, the same way that boxers would tap gloves against one another, Jaune moved to attack.

The moment he did, the world seemed to slow down from Kiran's perspective.

'He's nervous, that much is certain. He's a first year so I would not be too surprised to see some flaws, but...' Kiran's eyes narrowed. 'That overhead strike is too high, his stance is too narrow, his entire torso is wide open and his shoelace is untied. I can disarm him in 15 different ways, and could kill him in 50 ways before even five seconds could be counted. How is it that if he were to have wielded that sword for as long as he had, and was able to get into Beacon...how is it that he wields that sword like he had never swung it in his entire life? Something is not right.'

His thoughts came to an end and time returned to normal for the bespectacled boy. He then went through one of the disarming motions by stepping forward and kicking his fellow swordsman against the side of his left knee. The strike sent his leg skidding off to the side and placed Jaune down on bended knee as his grip loosened on his sword's hilt. A quick rising knee strike landed itself against Jaune's wrist which sent his weapon skyward. Gravity did its duty almost immediately as Crocea Mors tumbled downwards and Kiran snatched it out of the air before holding both his sword and Jaune's at throat level in a scissor-like manner. All of this occurred in under one second.

A chorus of Oooooooh's passed through the class, and some clapped for the younger Gopaul brother's display.

"And from that, you see the point I make about the mind. Jaune strode in with a wild overhead attack, but Kiran acted to efficiently take down his opponent while simultaneously disarming him. A sharp mind begets a sharp fighter, remember that my comrades." The wolf Faunus genius stated. He thanked the two as the both moved to take their seats back on the grass.

"Well that was embarrassingly quick." Jaune muttered.

"It's okay, Jaune." Pyrrha reassured him with a pat of the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be able to at least get a swing in next time. He's Professor Ozpin's student and you could tell that he's been doing this a lot longer than you have. It's no reason to be too upset about it."

The Invincible Girl frowned slightly as her team leader merely shrugged his shoulders and remained quiet. The two then turned back to Arthur as he continued the lesson.

"Now Kiran, as you've just demonstrated, you easily dispatched Jaune." The loud sigh of defeat echoed throughout the class. "How did you do that?"

"He was open. I saw where to hit and I took him down." Was the curt reply from the brown eyed weapons specialist.

"And if you didn't have your weapons, would you say you would have been able to do the same thing?" Arthur asked.

"Adjustments would be made for the utilization of unarmed combat, but yes." Kiran nodded his head stiffly. "Master taught us much in terms of strategy, tactics and the art of combat."

A nod of approval came from the older huntsman as he focused his gaze back upon the rest of the class.

"The mind is a powerful tool. The imagination gives birth to numerous amounts of ingenuity and you can see it in the evolution of the weapons of the past to what we have now. Rock and sticks were not able to do the job and so sword, axe and spear had been made. When the three great bladed weapons of the era failed to safeguard them against the Grimm, a Mistrali man researching into immortality created the first pile of gunpowder. Gunpowder went into fireworks which then evolved into the creation of the firearm. When the guns failed to not be enough and man was few in number, mechanical men, androirds fueled by Dust as a supplement were crafted. When wagons proved too slow and vulnerable, the Transcontinental Railroad between Vale and Vacuo was created. When boats between the ocean proved too dangerous and time-consuming, airships had been made. When messengers by horseback or messenger hawk proved too slow, the CCT was created. Progress continued and so, imaginative thinking accelerated to the point that we now have what is now considered the common weapon mechanic; the gun-blade. A mixture of firearm for mid-to-long range combat, and a close-combat weapon such as the sword or spear and..." His eyes brightened as his gaze settled upo Crescent Rose. "...even weapons like that can exist. A very significant example of imaginative thinking, Ruby."

"Th-Thanks." Ruby blushed in embarrassment as all eyes were on her, but a giddy expression formed on her face from the praise. "I worked really hard on making Crescent Rose, you know? My Uncle Qrow, he kinda showed me stuff because his own weapon was based on a scythe too. Plus, I'm like a total weapons nut because I started looking into how the scythe was made and what it was used for. Sure, people tend to associate the scythe with death these days because of the creation of the Spectre, the ghost of death who hunts for souls and severs them from their bodies with his own scythe, but it's actually almost unparalleled in both close and mid-range combat."

Ruby's excitement then began to reach new heights the more she talked about Crescent Rose and Arthur could smile at the sight of seeing her passion skyrocket. It was children like her who allowed to retain any sort of hope in humanity.

"...and the input of the sniper rifle for long range was because it has a far distance with which I can shoot my bullets. Plus the generation of the momentum behind the high-impact of the sniper rounds lets me increase my advantage in a fight if I use my Semblance to move around. She's my baby and she's not perfect, but I'll keep working on her until she is. She'll be perfect one day."

"No!"

"AH! I'M SORRY!" Ruby yelped as she quickly ducked behind Kiran for protection.

"You must not never do that, Ruby! Never!"

"WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!"

'You're louder than him though.' The other students sweatdropped at the hood wearing girl.

"Because Ruby, you said the one thing that you, as an inventor must never say to yourself!" He shouted. "Your weapon has a massive amount of potential for growth, and while you strive for perfection, you must never be able to make such a thing a reality."

"Wh-Why not?" Ruby stuttered as she poked her head out from behind her glasses-wearing friend.

"All of you, listen to me when I say this!" His blue eyes focused intently on the students before him. "Perfection is not something that you want to have happen to you if you truly wish to continue aiming for progress. It is the lack of perfection that allows for progress to occur. It sparks ingenuity and creativity. It gives us something to look towards because if perfection were to be attained, then there is nothing left to strive for! Scientists, including myself, agonize over the attempt to achieve perfect!"

"So you're saying perfection itself is the ultimate dead end?" Lora asked. Arthur nodded to his fellow Faunus with a serious expression on his face.

"Imagination. Knowledge. Improvement." He raised three fingers and stretched his arm out in the direction of the students. "These three things are the driving force behind progress, because if there is nothing to strive for then in the face of inventing the perfect tool...then there is only stagnancy. Stagnancy means death in our line of work as hunters because the Grimm adapt and grow with each battle, and if our weapons falter, then the Creatures of Grimm will leave us behind and ultimately surpass us."

"So it's sort of like the kingdoms of the past." The red haired P of JNPR commented aloud. "Ancient kingdoms and empires that have reached their peak at some point as well, they achieved a period of stagnancy because they became compliant with what they saw as perfection...and because they believed themselves to be perfect, they no longer had any sort of will to improve. It is that lack of motivation that led to them falling in the first place."

The wielder of Stormflower turned to his teammate with a quizzical look on his face. "But isn't that what society strives for anyway? How are we supposed to move past that stagnant period if that sort of perfection is what everyone else wants?"

"We're teenagers, Ren!" Nora laughed. "We don't even listen to people about what they tell us anyway! We should do what we want!" Green eyes then brightened as a lightbulb went off in her head. "OH! WE SHOULD MAKE A PANCAKE MAKER! OR A SLOTH CANNON!" She then released a gasp, her boundless energy making her excited form practically vibrate on the grassy ground. "I can already see it now. Villains beware...or a sloth will break for face."

"Nora."

"Yes Ren?"

"Please don't make a sloth cannon."

"Oh captain, my captain." She saluted to her childhood friend with gusto.

"She's right, you know?" Arthur said and all eyes widened as their shocked expressions looked between their substitute teacher and the orange haired girl.

"She is?!"

"HA! I'M RIGHT!" Nora exclaimed, positioning her arms to form a 'V' for 'Victory'. "Wait?" She kept her arms up as she turned to the nineteen year old inventor. "Why am I right again?"

"Because fighting the resistance that society itself places upon you is one of the greatest obstacles that you all, as both hunters and people, will have to overcome. So fight it!" Arthur directed a toothy smile at the orange haired grenade launching hammer wielder. "Don't adhere to what society intends for you. You could all aspire to be something greater, so continue to be unique and latch onto that individualism that will make our generation so much better than the past ones. Society will not hold you back as your denial of perfection will leave room for progress. You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you. They will stumble. They will fall...but in time, they will join you in the sun. In time...you will help them accomplish wonders."

A period of awe brought about the silence within the class as they looked upon the wolf Faunus with wide eyes, and the Mother Country native couldn't prevent the small tug of his lips as he smirked at them.

If there was anything that Arthur was proud of, aside from his ability with machines, it was that he knew how to use words to grab the attention of those he spoke to. Due to his immense intellect, he was obviously asocial at first and not a very interactive individual, but when he went to his first United Kingdoms' Research and Development Convention a few years back, he had to get up on that stage and he had to speak. He crashed and burned, his saving grace had been the reveal of the prototype of the Atlesian Knights, but from that point onward, he had never wanted to foul up a presentation ever again. If it was one thing Arthur disliked, whether it be mentally, physically or socially, failure was at the top of the list.

"Alright class, now that the pleasantries are over, we will actually begin class. Each of you will come to me with your weapons and I will give them a close inspection to see how it looks and whether or not they would require some form of maintenance. For the students whose weapons I've inspected that will require maintenance, we will use you as the practical examples for when we head over to the forges. Understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Asimov."

"Oh, by Lupa." Arthur gritted his fangs in disgust as he called out the name of the wolf goddess of the Faunus. "Don't call me that ever again. I'm not much older than you guys. So please, just call me Arthur."

The first years did as they were told as they climbed to their feet and lined up single file in front of Arthur. He inspected each and every weapon, though he took a very careful look when Kiran and Byron had come up. Looking over their weapons, he gave a nod of approval.

"They served you well, I presume?"

The brothers nodded before taking back their weapons and stepped off to the side just as Yang handed Ember Celica to the wolf Faunus. The moment she did though, the wolf Faunus froze as his primal instincts kicked in. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He could smell it. Literally.

His blue eyes shifted up from the pair of golden yellow gauntlets in his hands only for his sapphire orbs to widen as he found himself staring into deep pools of purple. "Uuuuuuuuuh..."

"You know I wasn't really interested in this class. Sure, having a weapons nut like Ruby gives a tiny sliver of interest..."

"Standing right behind you, sis." Ruby pouted.

"But I gotta say, you would make it worthwhile." Yang commented as she gave him a look up and down. Arthur's nose twitched and his magnifying goggles shifted ever so slightly due to the nervous flap of his ears as he could practically smell the hormones coming from her body. "How old are you again?"

"Nineteen." "And you said you're doing this as a substitute simply because the actual teacher isn't here, right?"

"C-Correct."

"So you're not an _actual_ faculty member?"

"Yang!" Ruby harshly whispered to her sister, her silver eyes trying to bore holes into the back of her head with the hopes that she'll drop down like a sack of bricks and save her the current feeling of embarrassment she was undergoing. "Stop flirting with our instructor!"

"I would listen to her."

"Ignore her." Yang demanded. Arthur's eyes widened and he couldn't help but blush from the close proximity between himself and the girl. No walls. No high tech defensive weapons hidden around him. Beacon Academy's resident genius was left to the mercy of social interaction between himself and the admittedly, very attractive young woman before him. And by the gods, he could see her cleavage.

'Impressive...NO!' He mentally slapped himself in the face. 'Bad Arthur! Bad! No fantasizing about students!'

"Now answer me." The demanding tone once again sent shivers down his spine.

'What is happening to me?' His curiosity conflicted with his sense of canine pride, but he seemed compelled to do so when the cleavage in his face was placed in tandem with bright pools of purple that met his own blue eyes.

"I...I am not affiliated with Beacon in that particular context, no. I just fill in every now and then because I am more than capable of teaching the entirety of Beacon's academic curriculum when others are incapable of doing so whether it be due to incompetence or due to absence of the legitimate instructors themselves."

Yang's violet eyes brightened as the white haired genius could not prevent the gulp he performed. The golden haired beauty originally had a playful smirk on her face, but with those predatory grin still present on her face.

"Nice. So you're fair game then?" Arthur's complexion could not get any redder at that point as it seemed as if his entire blood supply was directed to his face.

"You're very forward."

"I like to say that I'm very proactive when I see things that I like."

"Please. Stop." Ruby begged as she got down on her knees. "Pleeeeeease."

Yang's predatory grin never left her face and for some reason, Arthur's instinctual fear of the 'proactive' female seemed to manifest as the avatar of a golden scaled dragon that seemed to stare into his soul. "So handsome? Wanna take me out on a date this Saturday or what?"

He was a brilliant mind and because of it, whenever he was asked a question, he always answered. It was like a reflex for the white haired wolf. His answers would always be correct and it's why he always answered without fear of the repercussions. However, in this case where hyper-stimulated hormones of being a male coupled with primal instincts and jumbled thoughts; it created a messed up pathway to respond to the question asked by the Xiao Long girl.

His mouth opened and two words came out that shocked both himself and everyone else in the class to the core.

"Uuuuuuuh...sure."

* * *

 **(A/N: I always wanted there to be an explanation behind the reasons behind those phantasmal avatars that form behind characters in anime when they are ready to fight. Plus, the lesson on killing intent was a fun way to also show off just how adept the brothers are at both using it and knowing the theory behind it. These past couple of chapters including the ones I have planned leading up to this first major arc in the story will be more character development and world building than anything else, but I will be bringing in the action scenes soon enough when I start the aforementioned major arc.**

 **As for why Arthur and Yang are going to be going on a date. My writing friend, NeoNazo356, who gave me the OC Arthur to use had said he wanted Yang to be paired with him. I accepted the terms and so given Yang's character profile and how things tend to go with her in terms of her proactivity, temporary substitute teacher or not, the little dragon (pun on the actual meaning of her name lol. I'm hilarious, yes.) goes for the kill. Seemed like something she would do too.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter. Remember to Review, Review, Review!)**


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